Marin Ireland in SPARROWS DANCE (Tribeca Film)

Sparrows Dance may be the sweetest and simplest film I’ve seen in years. Taking place almost entirely in one small New York City apartment, the film follows a nameless woman (Homeland’s Marin Ireland) as she goes about her daily life. She hasn’t left her apartment in years. She’s trapped, crippled by anxiety brought on by stage fright she suffered as an actress (she lives off of residuals). Director and writer Noah Buschel allows the audience to see every part of her mundane life, including ordering food in, exercising on her stationary bike, and even sitting on the toilet. It is in fact the toilet that shakes her out of her solitary existence. After it overflows she is forced to call a plumber, Wes (Boardwalk Empire’s Paul Sparks), and her interactions with him lead her to consider changing her repetitive life.

Wes is a chatty, sweet plumber whose passion is poetry and playing jazz sax, though he too also suffers from a bit of stage fright. He is unaffected by the woman’s obvious social awkwardness, and she finds him charming. He asks her out, but she’s reluctant. Finally, she works up the courage to invite him back to her apartment for dinner. So begins a romantic relationship that takes place solely in the woman’s apartment. Even after Wes finds out about her crippling anxiety, he still wants to spend time with her. His only request is that she tries her hardest to make it to one of his gigs.

Buschel utilizes the confined space of the apartment to illuminate the woman’s inner struggles. She lives near neon signs, and one in particular flashes red on and off directly into her bedroom. As she lies by herself, and later with Wes, the striking on-and-off flashing light adds an interesting visual to simple scenes. The most intriguing shot is of Wes and the woman dancing on their first date. The shot starts very wide so the entire set is visible, including the hanging lights and frame of the room. The camera then slowly zooms in on the two dancing. Buschel seems to be commenting on the stage fright, pointing out to the audience that the entire film is itself staged.

Both Ireland and Sparks give great performances, and it’s refreshing to see Sparks in a main role outside the brutal world of Boardwalk Empire. As Wes, he is both sweet and tough on the woman but not overly so on either count. He is so incredibly likable it’s very easy to see why a shut-in would open her door and heart to him.