Over the last l5 years, the definition of "independent film" has become as vague as that of "producer" At one time, independent films were defined by the fact that the fim challenged the viewer either in form and/or content- films like Darren Aronofskys PI orSoderberg's SEX LIES AND VIDEOTAPE. Now, the term applies to any film financed outside the studio system, no matter how conventional the film is either in the treatment of the subject matter or in the filmmaking itself. Starting in the mid-90's with Ed Burns' BROTHERS MCMULLIN, such films are often only calling cards to make Holywood-style films for theatres or television, and Ed Burns career shows the most banal of sensibilities, while his contemporary, Kevin Smith, at least makes interesting films.

In New England, independent films range from the acting powerhouse of IN THE BEDROOM, and the mostly European sensibility of NEXT STOP WONDERLAND, to the straight to DVD senibilities of PONY TROUBLE and DIVINE INTERVENTION.

Into this mix come two earnest, heartfelt and fairly well produced films, Steve Croke's THE BUSKER and Dave McLaughlin's ON BROADWAY. Both films work with recognizable Boston area neighborhoods, Lowell and South Boston, respectively,. and both have an Irish-American motif. And, both are what I call "tweeners", films that could appeal to a megaplex audience, but whose production values are so low that no large distributor would take them. On the other hand, neither film is edgy either in form or in content, so that they would be shunned by patrons of theatres like the Kendall Square or the Coolidge.

In a way, both films stand in comparison to the current art house feel good hit ONCE. Like ON BROADWAY, ONCE has the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland motif of "Ok, boys and girls, let's put on a play," while THE BUSKER also deals with undiscovered street musicians. ONCE's stated $l50,000 budget is somewhere between THE BUSKERs and ON BROADWAY.

But there is a difference. In ONCE, the music soars and the leads have chemistry. And, in ONCE, the film breaks boundaries in terms of storytelling and in the way the way music is used redefines what we think a film musical is. ON BROADWAY and THE BUSKER, alas, hove no such ambitions.

Not to say these two local films are not without merit, and, if they could find the right audience, that audience would enjoy themseves. At a recent screening of THE BUSKER at the Museum of Fine Arts, where that great and generous programmer, Bo Smith, gave the film a three-day run, Bo commented to me that he was happy to see so many unfamiliar faces at the screening.
That means THE BUSKER did not attract the more cinema-savvy filmgoing crowd. At the premiewre screening of ON BROADWAY at the IFFB at the sold out 900 seat Somervile Theatre, I was surrounded by people some of whom hadn't been in a movie theatre since JAWS. Clearly the audience was dominated by friends and family, and they loved it. At a screening of THE BUSKER I told the filmmaker that he could expect a warm response, and that during the question and answer period, he would get a question like, "I really loved your movie, why don't they make movies like this any more?" They do, but they don't get into movie theatres or else they become high budget, earnest tear-jerkers like EVENING or A MIGHTY HEART.

Both films are likable. ON BROADWAY has the marquee value of Eliza Dushku, who gives an annoyingly twitchy performance, but at least has name recognition for overseas sales. But the audience that comes to see the home grown play that is the film's subject matter, is the kind of audience that never goes to plays. In the film, where the play is staged in a bar in South Boston, the audience loves it. There is also the predictable father-son reconciliation scene. So, too, the audience at the Somerville. As much as they enjoyed that film, I would bet no one would increase their movie-going habit one bit. As for THE BUSKER, it certainly has a much less predictable plot line than ON BROADWAY, and it has a truly good performance from a teenage black actress. It also dares to portray a teenage black/white romance.
Shot in Lowell, it makes Lowell look great.

But it, too, is a Tweener

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