Slight, and slightly precious, this wide-eyed indie cross-pollinates the romantic comedy with the offbeat ensemble drama. Whether the results seem like Robert_Altman lite or a more profound When_Harry_Met_Sally depends upon the sensibilities of the viewer. Writing and directing her first feature, video artist Miranda_July grapples with the terror and exhilaration of human interaction: love, sex, companionship, and fate. These characters -- including July's own Christine, the aspiring artist whose tentative romance frames the story -- rarely understand their own needs, let alone each other's. Their lives intersect, often in unexpected ways, yet fear and misunderstanding usually threaten any lasting connection. As a filmmaker, July favors episodes over arcs and wry chuckles over belly laughs. As a performer, she proves compellingly ethereal: evocative where she could have settled for quirky shtick. Ditto for John_Hawkes, of Deadwood fame, who provides a winsome variation on the sort of wounded man-child who pops up in any number of features at Sundance every year. Really, there's not a bad performance to be found anywhere in the film. It's the overall tone that's as likely to annoy as enchant. July makes judicious use of talented composer Michael_Andrews, whose previous credits include Donnie_Darko and TV's Wonderfalls. His compositions help sustain the mood of ramshackle momentum and the moments of sudden, tenuous transcendence. Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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