Generation Um... (2012)

What makes Generation Um… quietly special is its willingness to treat a single day in New York like a mood you can inhabit—raw, intimate, and strangely lyrical even when the characters are drifting. Mark Mann shoots the city and its late-twenties haze with an unvarnished honesty, letting small gestures and half-finished thoughts carry the weight, and the result feels subtle and artistically brave rather than neatly “plotted.” Keanu Reeves gives one of those disarmingly present performances where you can see the gears turning behind the silence, while Bojana Novaković and Adelaide Clemens bring a restless electricity that keeps the film humming. It won’t be for everyone—especially if you need big story turns—but if you’re drawn to clever, evocative character studies that capture a generation’s indecision without judging it, this one lingers.

Generation Um... is aiming for a loose, day-in-the-life portrait of drifting twenty-somethings in New York—more mood and conversation than story, more hangout vibe than drama. The problem is it often confuses “aimless” with “insightful,” leaving you with long stretches that feel meandering, underwritten, and oddly directionless, as if it’s waiting for a plot to arrive. If you need clear stakes, momentum, or a point that lands, this will likely feel tedious and frustrating rather than profound. That said, Keanu Reeves brings a low-key, watchable presence, and there are occasional flashes of atmosphere and intimacy that might work if you’re specifically in the mood for an indie slice-of-life that doesn’t resolve much.