It says a lot about the state of independent film programming and distribution that David Ball’s film was completed eight years ago but has yet to find a distributor or be screened in a major venue. Perhaps that is because Honey violates most of the conventions of Gen–Why filmmaking. While the vast majority of recent indie films take their inspiration from the coolness and cerebralism of the work of Jim Jarmusch, Paul Thomas Anderson, or Hal Hartley, Ball takes his from the shouts, fights, and life–and–death romantic battles that roil and shake the films of John Cassavetes. Honey focuses on the intertwined lives of two twenty–something couples, but rather than being cool and reflective, they and their interactions are hot–blooded, high–stakes, and more than half out–of–control. Honey’s characters don’t stare at their navels and take their own pulses, but fight and argue and jockey for romantic dominance. Ball’s brilliantly nervous staging, irritatingly jerky shooting, and disorientingly twitchy editing reveal things about Gen–Y that the Time magazine cover story left out. A manifesto for the film can be found here.