Oh man, I hate movies that try soooo hard to be "indie films," like so many that popped up in the 90's (all forgotten, and none of them actually good, that I can remember).This one is all about characters but has no heart whatsoever. It's empty. Pointless. Contrived. It's only concern is *looking* like an indie movie.I was intrigued at first. But as the movie wore on, it was obvious there was nothing below the surface. I could almost see the director off to the side a great big "I'm so intellectual" look on his face. He ain't no Ang Lee, though, sorry. My suspicions were confirmed when watching the extras on the DVD. Every feature had a smug, self-congratulatory tone.And, honestly, anything Roger Ebert endorses these days is worth avoiding at all cost.I wouldn't be so hard on a movie like this if it wasn't such a sham, and if the creators weren't so high on themselves, totally neglecting the audience that has to sit through this CRAP.Take the honest comments about this movie to heart (not the ones that are probably from people affiliated with this movie in some way) and spare yourself the wasted time and effort of watching this self-indulgent "indie masterpiece." Rent Fassbinder's "Ali: Fear Eat Soul" instead to see what a real masterpiece of simple film-making is.

This movie is a waste of time. People don't act like people, they act like people in a dumb, meandering, pretentious indie film, replete with a cute acoustic strumming soundtrack that tries to set the tone that's so obviously missing from the screen.None of this was believable -- not the hot Asian chick skimpering upstairs to her sullen neighbor and cuddling with him all night, without him so much as even commenting on what a horrific tease she's being. Not the hot sex she has with her beau -- which isn't very sexy, btw -- not the fact that the main character has no balls, no drive; he's beyond passive; the zombies in "Dawn of the Dead" are more lifelike.How do movies like this get made, and even more, how do they win prizes?

Not your slam bang big budget action film by any means. If you're looking for a recent exemplar of the well crafted, low budget, independent film, this is it. It's the kind of film you might want to see by yourself so that there's no chance for comment or interruption. The characters gradually emerge, the plot thickens, and you're with it all the way. What a talented group of actors this is and the direction and cinematography are absolutely fascinating. My only complaints are that the music is sometime intrusive, disruptive and the tennis match is a little trite -- small criticisms for what is otherwise a really nice movie.

There is a genre that has been meditated on by masters like Rohmer, who shows us cruelty; Truffaut and Nichols, who show us charm and wit; Wong Kar Wai, who injects energy and boldness; Rafelson, who reveals the scars and dirt under the nails of his characters... Eric Byler has not only arrived at their level with Charlotte Sometimes, but has defined an entirely new standard for cinema using an Asian American palette and a fascinating directing style. Byler's tiny moves project microscopic human emotions involving love and pain that scream off the screen. This is an art piece that, given the respect it deserves, could revive a new wave of consciousness in terms of the way American cinema treats human interaction (on a level so close to reality that it frightens us). This film is also another push AGAINST a gate that constrains Asian American cinema to concentrate on it's Asian-ness, rather than its Human-ness. Please watch this important film.