Movies by Paul Kermizian

Paul Kermizian is an independent filmmaker who has carved out a distinctive niche with his sharply observed, character-driven comedies. Drawing from his own blue-collar upbringing in upstate New York, Kermizian brings an authenticity and offbeat humor to his portrayals of the everyday lives of working-class Americans. His feature debut, Calling Bobcat (2000), is a quirky, low-key gem that follows the travails of a group of friends struggling to keep their small-town video store afloat. Kermizian's keen ear for naturalistic dialogue and ability to find the absurdity in mundane situations immediately marked him as a talent to watch. He followed up with the similarly charming American Beer (2004), which centers on a group of friends who embark on a cross-country road trip to sample the country's best craft beers. While the premise could have lent itself to broad slapstick, Kermizian instead crafts a warm, often melancholic portrait of male camaraderie and the restlessness of youth. Kermizian's films may be modest in scale, but they're elevated by his empathetic, unpatronizing view of working-class characters and his gift for finding the poignancy in the seemingly trivial details of everyday life. With a style that evokes the humanistic, slice-of-life approach of directors like Robert Altman and Mike Judge, Kermizian has established himself as a distinctive voice in American independent cinema.