And to some extent, the uber-casual, I don't need to edit, I don't need to do anything special with the camera attitude employed by many independent filmmakers is starting to bother me.

I hate this stereotype, especially for the father of Indie film. You know, when one produces it himself? Doesn't have a big budget? And on top of it is pioneering Cinema Verité, which is meant to be a documentaryesque depiction of reality. The whole film is built on it's characters. And did you even see the same film? And on top of it not every film needs to do something special wit hthe camera just to keep your attention. Just wait till you see Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise where the camera never moves.

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The same dinner scenes? You mean with her coming back completely quiet and devoid of her mannerisms until her husband couldn't take it anymore?
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