Ronald Bronstein Movies

A barely competent father takes his children on a series of offbeat adventures in this comedy drama from the writing and directing team of Josh Safdie and Ben Safdie. Lenny (Ronald Bronstein) works as a projectionist at a revival theater in New York City and has been living on his own since his wife divorced him. Lenny often acts like an overgrown child, which makes things complicated when he has to look after his two young sons, Sage and Frey (Sage Ranaldo and Frey Ranaldo). Lenny finds himself spending two weeks with his kids, and he wavers back and forth between being a caring father and dragging them into situations where they don't belong; when Lenny is called in to work unexpectedly, the boys are given the run of the theater with chaotic results, and a sudden road trip to upstate New York proves little better than disastrous. Also screened as Go Get Some Rosemary, Daddy Longlegs also features Lee Ranaldo of the acclaimed indie rock band Sonic Youth in a supporting role -- he's also the father of Sage and Frey Ranaldo, who play Lenny's sons. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Erstwhile New York City arthouse projectionist Ronald Bronstein makes his feature debut as a writer-director with Frownland. Dore Mann stars in the film as Keith, who clearly suffers from some type of serious social disorder. Keith has a great deal of trouble communicating. He stammers, he hems and haws, and eventually the words spew out of him in such an urgent torrent that he can't make himself understood. Keith shares a Brooklyn apartment with struggling musician Charles (Paul Grimstad, who composed the score for the film), and they have an antagonistic relationship. Keith pesters Charles about paying the electric bill. Charles, who clearly feels put upon by having to share the same space with Keith, responds with unbridled and pointed insult. Charles, we learn, has his own problems. Keith's source of income is unclear, but he does have a job going door-to-door in the suburbs to raise money for a vaguely shady charity. It's a job for which he's blatantly ill-suited. Keith's social life, such as it is, consists mainly of harassing a hapless bartender, Sandy (David Sandholm), who has somehow come onto his radar, and trying to calm the frequently distraught Laura (Mary Bronstein, the filmmaker's wife, here credited as Mary Wall). At one point, he attempts to use sock puppets to lift her spirits. "Are those my socks?" Laura unhappily responds. Ronald Bronstein self-distributed Frownland for its theatrical run. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi