The actors manage to just sidestep the chummy, self-congratulatory air of showbiz insiders, leaving viewers the pleasure of savoring their invention. No glib answers are offered, but the search proves rewarding.
More than a gimmick, that self-conscious visual strategy suits the self-impressed creative-class characters, even as it is, finally, more interesting than they are.
The film spoils the charm of its concept in the way it confuses the wish to be a Woody Allen-Julie Delpy lovechild with a cramping formalism that borders the theatrical.