It's telling that the two acts of this modest and claustrophobic film are set in Chicago and New York respectively, and yet viewers are barely given a glimpse of either city: the main characters, James and Mattie (played by co-directors Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig), rarely leave the cramped bedrooms, bathrooms, and stairwells that define the very small territory of their love. In short, improvisational scenes, NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS traces the pitfalls and occasional joys of the 20-something couple's long-distance relationship as it blossoms and decrescendos over the course of about a year.

This slice of extreme naturalism, shot on unforgiving digital video, wobbles between revelatory emotionalism--Gerwig, playing the cute but eternally peevish girlfriend, seems particularly adept at crying on cue--and awkward, inarticulate banalities, and yet in less than 90 minutes the fearlessness and intimacy of the performances get under your skin. Viewers may not always like the self-absorbed characters, or completely understand what drives them, but when the film ends, they may be sorry to see them go.