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FROWNLAND on DVD

By Karina Longworth posted 2 months ago

Frownland, Ronald Bronstein’s award winning, very nearly unbearably bleak ode to the white blind rage inspired by the mundane, will be released tomorrow on DVD by Factory 25. It’s rare that I get a chance to drop the phrases “award winning” and “unbearably bleak” in such quick succession in conversation about the same film, but Frownland is a especially rare bird. Essentially a series of vignettes on the topic of hostility, particularly its manifestation amongst young, broke New Yorkers too mired in dreary, crippling solipsism to enjoy the dubious protections of the trappings of counterculture, Frownland’s greatest achievement is an absence: flipping the protagonist/antagonist relationship on its head several times, it deliberately deprives the audience of a comfort zone. I watched Frownland last week for the first time in awhile, and couldn’t help but think about how odd it is that this film impressed awards bodies, even the ostensibly broad-minded indie factions at SXSW, the Indie Spirits and the Gothams. It’s a testament to Bronstein’s total commitment to drawing out the toxicity of human interaction that smart viewers don’t recoil from a film that amounts to a spit-take to the face.
All that said, Frownland is actually fun when viewed with the right crowd — once one person picks up on its sick humor and audibly responds, the laughing gets contagious — so pick up the Factory 25 DVD and invite over some friends. If you go for the limited edition package, you’ll be rewarded for your hospitality by a wealth of extras: a copy of the hand-scrawled comic-book drawn by Mary Bronstein’s character Laura; “a booklet of an insufferably long-winded email exchange between [roommate characters] Keith and Charles”; and a vinyl record of Paul Grimstad’s Moroder-freaked soundtrack, including tracks with titles like “Au Hasard Frankenstein” and “Impossible Piece of Shit.” Details here.

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Indies, Reviews

New Label Factory 25 to release FROWNLAND

By Karina Longworth posted 5 months ago

Matt Grady, formerly of Plexifilm, is launching a film and music distribution label called Factory 25, which has bought world rights (barring France) to Ronald Bronstein’s Frownland. According to a just-dropped press release, Factory 25 “will concentrate on releasing films theatrically, digitally and on DVD, as well as in conceptualized limited edition DVD/Vinyl combination packages.” For Frownland, the limited edition will include “in addition to extra footage (practically a given these days) … a comic book written in character by one of the actors, art drawn by lead actor Dore Mann, a soundtrack on vinyl, and a newsprint film poster.”

Apparently intent on hitting the hipster sweet spot between indie music and indie movies, Factory 25 also have plans to release a DVD set of videos by Damon & Naomi, early 90s indie rock doc Songs for Cassavetes, and Ben Wolfinsohn’s High School Record, a faux-documentary comedy starring members of Mika Miko and No Age that premiered at Sundance in 2005 (listen to my podcast with Wolfinsohn here).

This is exciting news, but I have questions. One thing the press release doesn’t specify is whether or not Frownland will be given a wider theatrical run; it’s had some isolated theatrical bookings and a run in France, but by no means has it reached market saturation. I also wonder, since they’re obviously buying stuff with cross over appeal to an audience that might not ordinarily care about indie film, if Factory 25 plans to find ways to subvert the current, stagnant indie film releasing model. I sent them an email; I’ll update this post when I get a response.

UPDATE: I asked Matt Grady via email to tell me a bit more about his plans for theatrical distribution, particularly in regards to Frownland, and he wrote: “I am looking into a series of event screenings that combine a musical performance with film screenings and am also working on having a couple film/music US tours in the fall. Frownland will continue to play event screenings…Frownland really lends itself to midnight screenings.”

Other projects on Factory 25’s slate include Dutch Harbor: Where The Sea Breaks Its Back, a documentary on Alaska featuring music by a supergroup including Will Oldham, Jim O’Rourke, David Grubbs and Michael Krassner called the Boxhead Ensemble, which will tour and perform with the film; and a Spiritualized concert film, which Grady directed and is currently in post-production.

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Indies