Frontier

Strange, but sooo original, smart and funny. I saw Frontier at SXSW 2001 and it just killed me. I loved it. It takes a bit of patience at first, along with a brain, but was so very worth it. I don't know where you can find the film but if so you should definitely check it out!

This movie hurt me...badly. The basic concept of this sort of war epic about an imaginary eastern European country, Bolbovia, and their imaginary language, Bolbovian, was not the problem. That lay within the painful reality of what Frontier is. The Zellner Bros. aren't void of talent but by the time the few wonderfully absurd moments arrive the rest of the film has simply beat the desire to laugh out of you. Frontier comes off as a bunch of kids having fun out in the woods, except the audience isn't let in on the joke and while I totally understand why they would film it, I don't understand wanting an audience to watch. In the end it just left me wanting to see Wiley Wiggins in more films... hopefully good films (in addition to the GREAT waking life) and a more developed project from the zellner bros. Who despite Frontier seem to have (hopefully) more enjoyable and promising works ahead.

I think it's a requirement to watch any Zellner Brothers film with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek. If you want belly laughs or deep meaning, you'll find neither- instead you have the subtle humor that mixes melancholy with the absurd, resulting in a sublime and subtle experience that stays with you (and, the animated extras of the films are not to be missed!). The Zellners' films aren't appreciated by all, but are well worth watching. They don't rely on obvious humor or accessible drama, but serve up humor and dramatic tension in spades. I loved seeing Wiley Wiggins again, and am ready to see another feature from this truly unique team.