Personal Velocity: Three Portraits is an above-average, independent film. That may sound like an odd sentence, and it is. The definition of what an “Independent Film” is has become something entirely different than how it is perceived. Similar to “Alternative Music,” what it actually means is negated by what images the words generate in your mind. To some people, the mention of an “indie-film” will conjure images of Napoleon Dynamite or Cherish. To others, The Evil Dead and Bad Taste may come instantly to mind. None of these are incorrect, but it is a form of bias and judgment. Personally, when I think of independent films, I think of Sundance and IFC favorites; dramas revolving around a small cast of characters. Personal Velocity is one of these films, but it also rises above its peers.

The film revolves around three extremely loosely connected stories. All three are about women going though an introspective period in their lives. All have it rough; either through their own actions or fate, and all of them involves their inability to associate with the men in their lives. Two very important things are done in this movie to stop it from becoming a “chick flick.” First, it never takes a feminine stance. At no point in the entire film does it, or even a character, make reference to what romance is supposed to entail, or how women are more decent than men. Additionally, there is a male narrator that occasionally fills in for the main characters, often speaking for their personal point of view. Most of these scenes, which are played out over still images, are very direct, giving the narrator a sense of omnipotence, but he never judges. You are allowed to form your own opinions. It’s always refreshing to see a film that relies on your personal involvement.

The first story is about Delia (Kyra Sedgwick) who in high school was a slut and in adulthood is a battered wife and the mother of three children. She gathers barely enough strength to take her kids and leaves her abusive husband, and moves in with an old classmate whom she used to protect from bullies. There, Delia gets a job as a waitress at a short-order diner and is constantly harassed by the passes of the restaurant owner’s son.

The middle sequence features Parker Posey as Greta, an attractive woman who is seemingly happily married, but stuck in a mundane job editing cookbooks. Almost out of nowhere, an author that had only recently become a big celebrity requests her to edit his next novel. While doing so, she has a playful, lusting tryst with him making her question where she stands sexually in her relationship, and if she should maintain it.

The last chapter follows Paula (Fairuza Balk) after she finds out she is pregnant and narrowly escapes a car accident; her companion wasn’t so fortunate. Driving without any conscious destination she picks up a mysterious young man (Lou Taylor Pucci) who is running away from even more disastrous events. Paula feels the need to play the role of the protector of this kid. The concern no doubt exacerbated by her new friend’s death, the boy’s injuries, and her pregnancy.

The incredible amount of emotion displayed in this film is a credit to both the leading actresses and writer/director Rebecca Miller. The script is near perfection, which is interesting because if this were a silent film, it would have the same emotional impact. On a visual level, the film was shot on DV and it has that trendy DV/indie look. Nevertheless, with such emotional material, the visuals really fit the realism that the characters sell so well.

The film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, as well as several other awards from smaller film festivals. This type of film is almost tailored for wins on this type of circuit. Refreshingly, it has the impact to make it truly deserving and separates it from other, lesser films.

Presentation
The audio and video quality of the disc is wonderful, and considering it was shot on DV, that look shouldn’t be hard to maintain.

Extras
Sadly, the DVD extras don’t fare so well. It is nice that there are two audio commentaries, one Rebecca Miller, and the other with cinematographer Ellen Kuras, (and the gaffer, but no one respects the gaffer) but with so little said between them they might as well have been either a single commentary or one of those “Fact Track” subtitle features. There are also two featurettes, but the only one of any real interest features Rebecca Miller with the cast. Kyra couldn’t make it and had to send her contribution in via tape. It still works, more so then the standard production featurette.

The Bottom Line
Personal Velocity comes with a high recommendation. It’s a nice “slice-of-life” style film that won’t make you struggle to hold back tears or laugh uncontrollably. It does feature fantastic acting, and there simply aren’t enough films made with the humanity in which this one has been. This is what filmmaking is all about.