I've been hearing about "Dance Party USA" since long before the film hit the festival circuit recently, stirring some discussion in this or that corner of the film-going world. I remember Aaron piecing together the script and hooking up with other college pals Brendan McFadden (producer), Sean McElwee (cinematographer), Zach Clark (editor), Marc Ripper (1st A.D.) and Chad Hartigan (actor) to finally push the thing out into the living, breathing world. Now that the film is approaching a November release date in New York (on my birthday, no less), I have to say I'm proud of all involved, because as anyone who's ever had experience actually MAKING a film will tell you, it's a lot easier to talk about than it is to put your money where your mouth is.

"Dance Party USA" was recently reviewed at Ain't It Cool News, and it was received positively by the individual who submitted the ink (along with reviews of "Fur" and "For Your Consideration"). Here's what "Ghostboy" had to say about Aaron's film:

DANCE PARTY USA (dir. Aaron Katz)

There's that aphorism about all the good girls always falling for the bad guys. There are those implicit and eternally frustrating questions of how, of why, of what do they see in them? There's that hope that maybe they'll come to their senses. And there's the possibility, which most lonely, pining romantics rarely pause to consider, that maybe the bad guys aren't all bad. Dance Party USA is about one of those bad guys. We first see Gus (Cole Pennsinger) on a train with his friend, bragging emphatically about a fourteen year-old girl he almost slept with. It doesn't matter whether or not he actually slept with her (his friend doesn't believe him) - the point is that he's the kind of kid for whom success is measured by sexual conquests, whose aspirations are mostly limited to being Matthew McConaughey in Dazed And Confused and whose conscience doesn't extend to the numerous girls whose hearts he's probably broken. He defines himself with a story about the time he had an ugly girl put a paper bag over her head before she gave him a blowjob.

But he's is also seventeen, and his youth gives him an edge, an intensity not yet dulled by the sad life he's setting up for himself. And, too, a little bit of innocence; he's an immature little boy in an adult's body. Maybe that's what all those good girls see in their bad boys: sweet naivete, and room to grow.

The film takes place over a twenty four hour period in which Gus drinks a lot, has sex with a random girl and, later, achieves a sustained moment of clarity when he meets Jessica (Anna Kavan), a sad wallflower at the titular party. He realizes pretty quickly that she's not going to fall for his moves, his usual lines; but instead of moving on, he keeps talking to her, and it's here that Dance Party USA moves past the improvised naturalism of a Cassavetes film and into Bergman territory. Over the course of about fifteen minutes, Gus tells Jessica a story -- not to impress her, or to make her sympathize with him, but because he suddenly sees in her rejection of him all of his own shortcomings.

What he tells her is a little bit shocking and quite a bit sad. It's a long, long scene, and it's not funny or pleasant or uplifting. But it comes so unexpectedly, and is so sincere and unflinching, that it turned Dance Party USA into one of the most vibrant and exciting alive cinematic experiences I've with a film in a long time.

The film was written and directed by Aaron Katz; it's his first picture, and he's populated it with fresh faces, many of whom have never acted before. Everyone in front of and behind the camera (which, like so many intimate character films these days, is digital and frequently handheld) is flawless. I can't wait to see what they do next - but in a certain sense, nothing they ever do will be as exciting as this. I go see a film like Babel and I enjoy it, but its qualities are no greater than I expected going in. I know what to expect from Inarritu and Arriaga and Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett; I know the extent to which they can be great, and so do they, and thus their film, for all the punches it might pack, contains no surprises. There's comfort in familiarity, to be sure, but there's excitement in the unexpected. There is no anticipation preceding filmmakers like Katz and actors like Lavan and Pennsinger, and when their movies work - as Dance Party USA does - it's like rediscovering the magic of film for the first time, all over again.

The film opens in New York on November 15th.

When I finally get that screener in the mail, I'll be sure to chime in with my own impressions (or perhaps I should do so privately with the guys, should the same old, same old occur in my reaction to an Aaron Katz creation). But no matter what I think, or what anyone thinks of this film, I'm really glad these gentlemen are staking their claim. God knows the North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking needs something more interesting than David Gordon Green to show for itself...

"Dance Party USA" IMDb Page
"Ghostboys"'s review of the film at Ain't It Cool News