The recent Gasoline Films DVD and VOD releases of the 2016 short stories dramedy "Six L.A. Love Stories" nicely resurrects the art house indie film genre of vignettes with a common theme or other connection. In this case, we get the titular sextet of tales about couples at various stages of relationships interacting in separate locations during the same afternoon in Los Angeles.
Producer/writer/director Michael Dunaway also is the producer of the exceptionally good (reviewed) documentary 21 Years: Richard Linklater.
Warranted praise for "Six" includes that each story has a strong live-stage vibe. More formal accolades include the awards for Best Feature, Best Actor, and Best Director at the 2016 Williamsburg Independent Film Festival.
The following YouTube clip of the official trailer for "Six" nicely conveys the spirit of this film about 21st century relationships in a city in which virtually everyone considers himself or herself God's gift to both sexes.
"Six" opens on a very L.A. note with Ross Partridge of "Stranger Things" harassing an uptight and stressed out fellow guest at a pool party. The entertainment extends beyond this pair being an odd couple to Partridge's Wes Ellis stating plausibly odd things about other people at the event.
We next get Matthew Lillard (a.k.a. live-action Shaggy) as a character who comes home early to find his wife in bed with another man. This couple with issues spends their portion of the film hashing things out in the bedroom. Every man can relate to the Lillard character being concerned with whether his rival is bigger than him; the reveal near the end of the film provides an interesting twist.
A particularly fun story has always entertainingly quirky Stephen Tobolowsky play a professor having hostile exchanges with a tour guide (Beth Grant) at a Will Rogers historic site. He speaks for all of us who have ever experienced a rigidly conducted tour.
"And the rest" consists of a woman and her ex-husband revisiting old territory while deciding where to send their daughter to school, a successful woman calling her aspiring screenwriter ex-boyfriend on his unwarranted arrogance and related habit of being his own worst enemy, and a lesbian couple unexpectedly reuniting at an open mic afternoon in which the participants perform monologues.
At the heart of things, Dunaway presents believable stories that reflect the human condition. This includes old feelings that remain after love turns to at least indifference, a reluctance to give up on a long-term relationship, and the fact that you sometimes still must deal with your ex. The bigger truth is that we all have personality flaws that the enhanced egos of the majority of Los Angeles residents exacerbate with a proportional impact on the folks who bear the brunt of that 'tude.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Six" is strongly encouraged either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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