One of the most eagerly anticipated films of Sundance 2009 is Michael Cera’s “Paper Heart” a once, “secret” project that turns out to be a quasi documentary starring Cera and his real life comedienne girl friend Charlyne Yi.
The film, described as “combining elements of storytelling, reality and fantasy, ‘Paper Heart’ brings a fresh perspective to the modern romance and redefines the classic love story,” has a real synopsis on its Sundance page:
“Charlyne Yi does not believe in love. Or so she says. At the very least, she doesn’t believe in fairy-tale love or the Hollywood mythology, and her own experiences have made her—at minimum—a modern-day skeptic. But this inquiry into love and its present-day manifestations suggests she hasn’t entirely given up hope. As she and her friend (and director), Nicholas Jasenovec, together search for answers and advice, you get the idea that this new generation’s cynicism isn’t the whole story. And when she meets a man after her own heart…well, you can guess the rest. Yi, a Los Angeles–based artist and comedian, certainly has an interesting array of friends and acquaintances. They offer diverse views on modern romance, as well as various answers to the age-old question: does love really exist? But is this all for real? Is it fantasy? Or is it a just a filmmaker’s quest?This is a wonderfully imagined journey of one girl’s search for love. This self-conscious and self-reflective film leads us all down a “rabbit hole” of emotion, hope, and confusion that give this poignant, funny, and intelligent film its…heart. Only people as aware and knowledgeable about their craft as Yi and Jasenovec can make a film as entertaining and absorbing as Paper Heart.”
Sounds possibly awesome or trainwrecky with probably no either or. The Sundance page for the film also reveals some new photos and the fact that Cera and Yi have also written the music for the film (Cera is an accomplished musician and has a silly joke band with “Clark And Michael” actor Clark Duke called, The Long Goodbye).
The film is screening five times at Sundance and Cera’s name alone should attract a full house each time no doubt.
Spoutblog discovered Yi’s YouTube page which apparently features a lot of video hilarity. We’ll take their word for it. Here’s one with SNL’s Fred Armisen and there are tons of others.