For a brief, shining moment, Zach Braff was the future of the mainstream independent film movement. His film debut Garden State shows a natural flair for setting up visually interesting shots as well as creating a fantastic soundtrack, and it certainly struck a chord with audiences. Garden State is the story of an actor, heavily doped up on lithium since an incident in his childhood, who returns to his hometown after the death of his mother. It touches on themes that twenty-somethings were able to relate to, the pain and awkwardness of trying to return to the home of your childhood that doesn't really exist anymore. It was a major success, and although he hasn't followed it up with another cinematic achievement as of yet, early buzz for his new film Wish I Was Here, it seems like he might have another winner on his hands. Hopefully he's able to recreate some of the magic from Garden State and do for people in their mid-30s what he did for twenty-somethings.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
