Screening & Live Event
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon
With Jay Duplass, Mark Kelly, and Steve Zissis in person
Written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass. 2012, 76 mins. Digital projection. Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. With Mark Kelly and Steve Zissis. Jay and Mark Duplass are two of the most successful filmmakers to emerge from the ultra-low-budget independent film movement known as “mumblecore,” with films including The Puffy Chair, Baghead, and Cyrus. Their new movie, The Do-Deca-Pentathlon, is the story of two grown brothers who secretly rekindle their fiercely competitive childhood sporting event–a homemade Olympics of 25 events–during a family reunion in order to finally determine the ultimate champion. When the rest of the family is disrupted by their unfinished business, the brothers must choose between their passion for beating the hell out of each other or the greater good of the family. Reviewing the film for IndieWire, Eric Kohn writes, “The movie showcases their trademark ability to blend naturalism with slapstick comedy by rooting it in a charmingly understated story that's beside the point. Although it assumes a light, inoffensive tone, Do-Deca is unquestionably the brothers' most personal film by virtue of its antiheroes, a pair of warring siblings seemingly inspired by the directors themselves.”
