Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Ever wanted to hurry love? Just get that early awkwardness out of the way and revel in the comfort of a long-term relationship? That’s exactly what the leading ladies of Miguel Arteta’s experimental dramedy Duck Butter attempt to do over the course of just 24 hours. Alia Shawkat, Laia Costa, Mae Whitman, the Duplass Brothers, and more all star in this little movie, and lucky for you, it’s now streaming on Netflix. A singular, strange exploration of intimacy, Duck Butter is unlike anything else out there.
Alia Shawkat, who also co-wrote the script with Arteta, stars as Naima, a struggling young actress who finally gets what she believes to be her big break in a Duplass Brothers (playing themselves) project. Things evidently don’t go how she was hoping, however, and she is soon fired. When she meets Sergio (Laia Costa) at a club later, the two have instant chemistry, and Naima is floored by her sense of spontaneity and confidence. Intoxicated by one another, they decide to conduct an experiment: they’ll spend the next 24 hours together and have sex every hour. The most important part of the experiment? Total honesty with one another. It’s all a lot harder than one might think.
Arteta depicts the intimacy between the two women in a fascinating manner; we get so up close and personal that it becomes uncomfortable at times, like we’re invading their privacy. What begins as a sexy, emotional evening in pursuit of real romance soon turns into a distressing experience, placing an unsettling weight on the commitment made just hours after having met one another. It turns out getting through a few months of dating in a day isn’t as simple as it seems.
The tension that builds between Naima and Sergio as the film progresses is palpable; as a viewer, it’s difficult not to bristle as the two embark on an emotional roller coaster and the initial spell wears off. There are certainly deeper questions to be asked about modern romance and what we expect from a relationship, but you may very well find yourself dizzied as these 24 hours come to a close, just as our leading ladies are.
It might be sexy and interesting at the beginning, but Duck Butter drags you along for this journey and makes you just as sick of intimacy as the characters might be by the end. It is not a light movie (as the trailers might suggest), but it’s a unique, refreshing one, driven by remarkable performances from Shawkat and Costa. We have to warn you, though; you might not be able to say the title aloud without making a face once you learn what it means.
