The Frame

8/10

What a find this gem of a movie was! The originality of the film is amazing. David Carranza's acting is incredibly captivating. The movie is thought-provoking in so many levels.

There is a fairy-tale quality to the stories of Alex and Sam, but in darker tones and with the substance of a thriller. The movie is a blending of stories and genres, all interweaving and working with each other in a thrilling and strangely beautiful ballet of movie-making magic.

Alex, played by Mike Carranza playing Mike Carranza, meets Sam, played by Tiffany Mualem playing Tiffany Mualem through the television in his living room... That must have sounded so confusing on paper, yet Director Jamin Winans never lets the viewer have to carry the weight of the plot in order to appreciate the movie. The complexity of the plot device is more Memento than Primer or Inception, if you need a point of reference. In other words, the viewer is never more confused than the characters themselves are.

The final act is the most brilliant, in my opinion, but where some viewers might mentally disconnect because the movie demands more of the viewer. I won't spoil it by going into details.

Do yourself a favor and watch this movie, and keep an eye on both Jamin Winans and Mike Carranza.

If he can do this with a minimal budget, what can he do with big bucks..? But then would Hollywood producers force their mindless pap on him..?

Hard to say, but I am way impressed..! If you forget the religious aspect and simply consider it all as consciousness projection it all makes pretty good sense.. Considering how much video, movies, etc I watch it would not be a surprise to me to have a reflective manifestation like this.. haha Really solid acting by the main cast.. Really good directing with impeccable timing.. Fluid cinematography and nothing shoved in your face.. Even the gunplay was realistic and within the bounds of logic.. Like a few other movies about consciousness and perspective this is basically a simple Inception.. Everything is relative, even how we perceive the meaning of this play.. Well done everyone involved in this and thank you for putting something smart out there and allowing the audience to receive something positive amongst the typical horror and angst Hollywood cranks out these days.. 👍

I am a huge fan of Jamin Winan's film "Ink" so I have been waiting for "The Frame" for awhile. After seeing it I wasn't disappointed, even if it doesn't top "Ink." This movie has much better acting and is overall of higher visual quality, but the story is much slower and probably could have benefited from a little more editing.

I do think that Winans is the most original film maker in the game right now. He reminds me of Christopher Nolan and I would love to see what he could do with a blockbuster budget. The main area where his movies fall short is in the acting department. While the main characters are played by good actors, some of the smaller roles are played by people that simply aren't good.

Overall, this movie is completely original and doesn't fit into any category. Even if someone's review gave away the whole story you would have to see it for yourself to understand. This is a movie that is going to mean something different for every person that watches it, but it's not for everyone. Winan's movies are dream-like and some people will prefer a more straight forward story. But, I think the movie is beautiful. Winan's visuals and music are always stellar. I am already looking forward to his next project, whatever that may be.

If nothing else, this is a film that will make you think. A professional criminal and a paramedic meet through his TV set, like he turns on the TV and they talk to each other. They both question their own sanity, and additionally he thinks she may be more sinister than supernatural. It doesn't take her long to work out that he is a character in a TV series, and he soon realises she is one too. The obvious thing to do is meet up; he pressurises her to give him her address, which she does, but when he arrives, her apartment is occupied by someone else.

So they are not only real as well as TV characters but living in different dimensions though occupying the same space. There is quite a bit more to it than that, but if you manage to figure it out, chances are no one else will quite agree with you. The one criticism that can be made of "The Frame" is that in places it is rather slow.

Be patient with the first twenty minutes, which may seem slow, but are crucial in establishing the starting point before you are taken down a truly fantastical sci-fi rabbit hole. It most definitely is not what you think it is when you first start watching, and waiting for the weirdness to begin is worth the wait, I promise you. This film asks familiar questions about free will and determinism but does so in a very original and thought-provoking way. David Carranza's performance is complex, layered and award worthy. What is The Frame? You'll have to watch to the end to find out!