Improvisational and largely inspired by the real life experiences of the actors and crew, Hannah Takes the Stairs was Swanberg’s first big hit. ‘Village Voice’ called it the mumblecore equivalent of ‘Gone with the Wind’. The film centers on a woman in her twenties, whose emotional ups and downs provide her with the semblance of a vigorous life. Chronically dissatisfied – is how Hannah describes her condition. Living in Chicago, she continually jumps from one chance encounter to the next. Once again, Swanberg does not so much describe as observe everyday life: intimate situations, endless conversations about relationships, friends bathing after a scorching day in the sun. As always, the director’s work is impressionistic and digressive, balancing on the edge of documentary and home movie atmospheres. But comedy is of the essence here – just wait for the worst two-trumpet concerto ever captured on film.