DUCK BUTTER: An Intriguing Concept That Doesn’t Quite Work In Execution

The rom-com is a genre that has seemingly seen every type of story. Though arguably on the up in recent years, with promising entries like Band Aid or The Big Sick, it’s still an overloaded category, with little new to shake loose even in the more stand out examples.

Directed by Miguel Arteta, and written by both him and star Alia Shawkat, Duck Butter is an attempt to change things up. It depicts two young women who decide to get to know one another over the course of 24 hours, and interestingly was shot in that amount of that time as well. Unfortunately, though, in a similar manner to the relationship of the film itself, Duck Butter is a rocky and uneven affair, bogged down by its own desperate attempt to be something that stands out from the masses.

Last Tango in Paris Meets the Rom-com

Duck Butter begins in a somewhat surreal manner. Naima (Shawkat) is an aspiring actress arriving on set to film scenes for an upcoming indie. The film itself, which also stars Kumail Nanjiani, is being directed by both Mark and Jay Duplass, the brothers who also serve as producers for the current film we are watching. It actually made me question if I was watching the correct film or more of a making-of instead, which sets a distinctive tone for what was to come.

Later on, Naima is at a lesbian bar, where she sees the beautiful Sergio (Laia Costa) performing on stage. Instantly smitten, the two soon have an intimate dance, followed by a sexual encounter back at Sergio’s apartment. What follows from here, though, is a suggestion by Naima: why go through all that lengthy time and energy to get to know someone in a way that could ultimately fail, when instead you could do it in a much shorter timeframe? Sergio takes her up on the idea, and though Naima is at first hesitant to follow through, they eventually commit to it. Over the next 24 hours, they will have sex every hour on the hour, and in-between get to know each other better.

What initially drew me to Duck Butter (other than being a huge fan of Alia Shawkat) was its experimental format. Not being a huge fan of rom-coms in general, the way Duck Butter was described made it seem closer to Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider‘s connection in Last Tango in Paris, albeit in a shorter timeframe and with a clearly lighter tone. Arteta himself has also been known to bring his own spin on tired-out concepts, such as his wacky depiction of infatuous love gone wrong in 2002’s The Good Girl.

But what might have sounded intriguing in concept instead leaves much to be desired. The loose format of Duck Butter, which gives the actors room to show some vulnerability, also has them feeling more like vague outlines than real people. Sergio’s personality, for example, is reminiscent of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, whose free spirited nature exists solely to bring out the more reserved and complacent Naima. Though both Costa and Shawkat bring their own quirks to their characters, it’s not quite enough to fill in these thinly-drawn spaces.

The improv-ish nature of Duck Butter, though a part of the experimental structure itself, instead becomes one of its more cumbersome flaws. Much like the opening scene, where Shawkat‘s character attempts to bring her own take to a tight production by the Duplass Brothers, the film itself also shies away from feeling scripted. And though this sometimes works, such as in a particularly effective wordless exchange between the two girls, it more often than not makes the film feel cringeworthy and awkward.

Dialogue, when given the proper nuances and with more apt timing, could have raised this film up, but the conversations here, which range from discussions of family to wider ideas of career and success, instead feel rather aimless. There are no groundbreaking character moments to be had, and even when Naima takes a risk and is inspired by Sergio to send a spiteful email to someone, it doesn’t seem to phase or otherwise affect the connection between the girls. It doesn’t help matters that the film’s fast-cut editing makes most of their exchanges seem exceptionally choppy.

Romance in Fast Forward

The sex scenes of Duck Butter are thankfully never too gratuitous, only showing what is necessary to establish the infatuation between the girls. It is an admirable restraint, as a film like this could have easily been imbued with the male gaze. With its focus on two women, the film is also a refreshing take from the many heterosexual rom-coms out there, and admirably, the film simply expresses their relationship naturally.

Duck Butter‘s 24-hour time frame presents at least a few of the progressive stages of relationships, starting with the infatuation stage and continuing to more back-and-forth power struggles. Yet, even with some occasional chemistry between Shawkat and Costa, the film never establishes itself beyond this. There’s no real sense that Naima and Sergio would actually make it as a couple, and their fights are often based on nothing more than sudden onslaughts of panic, despite the relatively unimposing nature of their relationship. There are occasional promising moments, but they just don’t add up to much. And for a film whose very success is primed on the strength of its romance, it just ends up feeling like a weightless endeavor.

Conclusion: Duck Butter

To conclude, Duck Butter is a film that, though admirably experimental in structure, just doesn’t have the proper foundation beneath it. Laia Costa and especially Alia Shawkat give it some impressive effort performance-wise, but their characters’ budding connection is as meandering and weightless as the film which surrounds it. Though I appreciate the film’s attempts to distinguish itself, Duck Butter is unfortunately too undercooked to be a fully-fledged success.

What are your thoughts? Do you enjoy experimental films?

Duck Butter was released in US theaters on April 27.