In the indie dramedy Laura Gets a Cat, the title character (Laura, not the cat) is a millennial “creative” who is drifting through life. At 32, she still hasn’t completed the novel that she supposedly has been finishing since college. Instead, she’s mired in a menial day job existence, underachieving away and reliant on her long suffering, devoted boyfriend, who restrains himself from grabbing her collar and talking some sense into her. Laura fills her weekends beating herself up after seeing her friends, who by now have careers, homes and kids. A shiny thing enters her field of vision in the form of a barista/avant-garde performance artiste.
Normally, I detest Mumblecore, an entire cinematic genre built around the naval-gazing self-absorption of Millennials who believe that they are owed careers (artistic and otherwise) and professional recognition on the basis of potential alone. I sure thought that Laura Gets a Cat was headed there, but writer-director Michael Ferrell’s sense of authenticity intruded. Ferrell doesn’t let Laura become rescued by romance and saved from the consequences of her choices. Laura finds herself on the journey of self-discovery as do all of us.
Laura is played by Dana Brooke, (the theater actress, not the pro wrestling celebrity). Brooke is in every scene, playing a not-too-sympathetic character, and she keeps us interested, so kudos to her.
Laura Gets a Cat is the second feature for Ferrell, whose debut Twenty Million People played the 2013 Cinequest. Cinequest’s 2017 festival hosts the world premiere of Laura Gets a Cat.