Awkward siblings at war in The Color Wheel

It may not be a polished Hollywood blockbuster, but Alex Ross Perry’s indie comedy The Color Wheel (2011) certainly provokes a visceral reaction.

The film will show as a special screening at the Portland Art Museum’s Northwest Film Center this weekend. There will be two evening screenings this Friday and Saturday with a final afternoon screening Sunday, June 3.

The Color Wheel follows JR (Carlen Altman), a broadcast journalism student who has just broken up with her professor. Having been thrown out of his house, she drags her younger brother Colin (played by Perry) into helping her move out her belongings. The siblings don’t get along, but Colin agrees.

The pair sets out for the city, bickering along the way until their arrival at the house of Professor Neil Chadwick (Bob Byington). There, they encounter him with another student, and an argument erupts between the former lovers. The professor delivers the girl a fairly scathing deconstruction, and she hurries out in a daze, leaving her brother waiting on the street while she collects herself.

While she’s out and about, JR manages to embarrass herself in front of a local news icon before running into a few high school friends. They catch up and invite her to a party. She agrees, again dragging her brother along. Before they go, she takes him out shopping for a new look, and soon they’re on their way to an encounter that will change how they view themselves—and each other.

Described by the film’s creators as an “objectionable comedy,” Color Wheel aptly fits both ends of the definition. Shot in black and white with shaky cinematography and quirky camera angles, the film has a lo-fi feel and awkward direction that actually meshes well with its equally awkward themes.

The comedy is a blend of subtly witty commentary on the life of today’s 20-somethings and the infantile bickering of siblings at odds with one another. Both of the lead characters are rather nonchalant, which dries out the humor and really pumps up the moments when the other characters criticize them. This happens several times throughout the film, which ultimately rings true as a triumph of self-deprecation.

The relationship between JR and Colin is at the core of Color Wheel’s otherwise meandering narrative arc, and they range from flowing to clumsy, sentimental to scornful. Be ready for some deliciously awkward moments.

The narrative tends to drift a bit. There are several stretches of repetitious dialogue that echoes the theme of sibling rivalry. The acting has an unpolished edge, which adds to the generally charming clumsiness of the film. The characters come across as real people, even in the moments when they give in to stereotypes. (Don’t we all do that from time to time?)

Colin is the nerdy loser that lives with his parents and doesn’t mind it. JR is the self-obsessed wannabe news anchor that puts her own agenda above everyone else’s. Though they spend much time representing and self-consciously reinforcing these themes, a great deal of their dialogue also pokes fun at them.

While it offers nothing sweeping or grand in its narrative and content, The Color Wheel is sure to offer laughs and nods of recognition. Expect some jarring moments, but otherwise prepare for a frustratingly funny adventure through the lives of two listless young adults as they squabble through a journey neither would choose to take alone.