23

wednesday

If his house band had been Belle and Sebastian rather than the Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol might have made films like Mutual Appreciation, a talky tale of near-romance in the Brooklyn indie-pop scene. The movie is low-budget, black-and-white, and slow-moving—although, thematically, writer-director Andrew Bujalski seems to have been influenced as much by Pretty in Pink as Chelsea Girls. The story is simple enough: Upon the breakup of his previous group, the Bumblebees, singer-guitarist Alan (Bishop Allen member Justin Rice) moves from Boston to New York, home of his childhood friend Lawrence (played by the filmmaker). A DJ, Sara, makes a play for Alan, but he realizes he’s more interested in Ellie, Lawrence’s girlfriend. Fans of Bishop Allen, or twee pop-rock in general, will appreciate the movie’s local color when the film shows at 8 p.m. at the Avalon Theatre, 5612 Connecticut Ave. NW. $9.75. (202) 966-3464. (Mark Jenkins)