Canvas

Review

From the whimsical mind of Miranda July, known for her idiosyncratic storytelling, comes “Canvas,” a film that paints an offbeat portrait of a struggling artist in Los Angeles. The screenplay, crafted by Charlie Kaufman, layers the narrative with existential musings and quirky dialogues that resonate well with July’s directorial finesse. Tom Holland breaks from his youthful superhero persona to embody a street artist lost in the expansive and often surreal landscape of urban relationships.

”Canvas” excels not just in its narrative but also through its cinematography. There’s a memorable scene where Holland’s character, faced with the vastness of a blank mural space, experiences an overwhelming sense of both possibility and paralysis. The camera pulls back slowly, enveloping him within the sprawling cityscape—a poignant representation of his internal struggle. Such moments are testament to July’s ability to use visual storytelling to echo her characters’ internal conflicts.

The interactions between Holland and Zoe Kravitz, who plays his whimsical love interest, are laden with both tenderness and awkward tension, capturing the essence of modern love in its confusing glory. A scene where they converse using only street art, spraying their feelings out in colorful tags across L.A.’s back alleys, is both innovative and visually arresting. However, the narrative sometimes treads too lightly over their emotional depths, leaning heavily on eccentric aesthetics at the cost of character development.

Despite these shortcomings, “Canvas” is a commendable addition to the indie film landscape of 2021. It stitches together comedy and drama through a lens that is uniquely Miranda July’s—offering an experience that’s as thought-provoking as it is aesthetically pleasing. While the film may not delve as deeply as it could into the psyche of its characters, it remains a vibrant mosaic of life’s absurdities—an artwork in motion that’s definitely worth a watch.