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A movie about 20somethings living in New York City sounds generic enough to be any film plot, but "Breaking Upwards" has something different to offer: an intimate look into a Jewish couple's real relationship problems.

"Breaking Upwards" will be screened March 5 and 6 at Rutgers University at an event co-sponsored by the university's American Studies and Cinema Studies programs, the office of Academic Engagement and Programming, and the School of Arts and Sciences. The screening, part of a national tour to promote the award-winning independent film, will follow with a discussion with lead actress Zoe Lister-Jones and actor/first time director Daryl Wein.

"Culturally, I think that with New York Jews, our sense of humor is very distinct and I feel like the tone of the movie is Jewish," Lister-Jones told The Jewish State in a phone interview Dec. 17. "It's kind of in the same vein of Woody Allen -- self deprecating and a harsh reality through a humorous lens."

In the film, longtime real-life couple Wein and Lister-Jones go through the possible end of their four-year relationship together. They hope to slowly wean themselves off each other while strategizing their breakup, setting rules and boundaries that are meant to make the separation easier. However, Wein and Lister-Jones find an opportunity for introspection and an opportunity to discover themselves within the confines of the relationship.

"Breaking Upwards" had its world premiere at the South by Southwest festival and has since been to around 20 film festivals, Jewish and non-Jewish, around the world. It has already received five awards at film festivals, including for best actress and best narrative, and will open in New York at the IFC Center (323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street) in April.

"One of the inspirations was Zoe and [my] real open relationship," Wein told The Jewish State. "The film is loosely based on our experience being in an open relationship in real life as a couple, and we were in the midst of seeing other people and taking time apart from each other while writing the film. That period of our life was a huge influence in the script, but the script is mostly fictionalized but has a lot of truth underneath it."

A third writer, Peter Duchan, worked on the film with Wein a year before Lister-Jones, most known for several roles in Law and Order, joined the writing process. Lister-Jones said that with Duchan's help, the two gained an outside perspective of their unique relationship, helping to make sense of two sensitive and fragile processes.

"For me, it was a little too close, and it brought a lot of questions about creative license," Lister-Jones said. "This was something that we were living. When does it become a movie, transcribing what's our life? Peter shed some perspective on that because he was objective and not living it. He infused his own reality that was different than ours. Once I signed on, Daryl and I closed our relationship and we were monogamous again. It brought up some issues, some scenes definitely led to discussions about our personal history, but for the most part, we were so wrapped up in pre-production and getting the film on its feet that we didn't have much time to worry about it."

With a $15,000 budget, Wein and Lister-Jones asked a lot of favors from friends and family, filmed in a short amount of time, and worked with a minimal crew in order to maximize what little money they had.

"There's something about it that's also thrilling because of the challenge, but it was definitely a challenge!" Lister-Jones said. "There were many hard parts, but the hardest part is when Daryl and I basically produced on our own with a skeleton crew, shot in my apartment, my mom's and dad's apartment, my ex-boyfriend's mother's apartment... it was asking a lot of favors that was difficult and a little scary."

Lister-Jones said that the cast was mostly friends who were doing them a favor.

"Everyone was paid $100 a day, and we shot in as few days as possible," Lister-Jones said. "I think that's always hard, because they put their own [reputations] on the line... If it's bad, then we roped someone into something they can't get out of. However, everyone in the film is proud of it. We made a real movie!"

With a subject so close to the writers' hearts and lives, Lister-Jones noted that being Jewish is "a part of the reality of the narrative" in "Breaking Upwards". Key points in the film are either inspired by or centered on Jewish events, adding to the Jewish nature of the narrative.

"We're both Jewish and the parents in the film are Jewish," Wein said. "I would say we have a pretty climactic scene that happens at a Passover seder, and all of our family members come together, and there are a few other elements, like we have a scene at a synagogue."

"Daryl meets the first girl he decides to see after me at the meet-and-greet," Lister-Jones added.

"We didn't even think about it; that's just who we are," Lister-Jones continued. "When we show it to people, they're shocked, because at the Jewish festivals that we've been touring at, the lineup of films have to be semantically so Jewish and this film is not semantically Jewish by any means. It's kind of Jewish in its soul, which is rare to see, especially in films about young people in their 20s [in the] singles scene."