“Frank the Bastard,” a haunting tale of long-buried secrets uncovered in a remote New England town, will be released theatrically by Paladin, it was announced by company president Mark Urman. Written and directed by Brad Coley and produced by Ged Dickersin, the film stars Rachel Miner, William Sadler, Wendy Vanden Heuvel, Andy Comeau, Ellen Albertini Dow, and Chris Sarandon. It opens in New York and Los Angeles on July 24th, with expansion into several additional major markets beginning the following week.
“Frank the Bastard” centers around Clair Defina (Miner), a 33 year-old New Yorker who returns to the childhood home she and her father fled after her mother’s tragic and mysterious death. Arriving in the seemingly quaint Maine town, Clair encounters an undercurrent of secrecy and hostility, most of it linked to the local bigwig Cyrus Gast (Sadler), whose latest land development scheme promises to revitalize the community but is not what it appears to be. Most of the town is intimidated by Cyrus, and when Clair starts delving into events, both present and past, she finds herself in jeopardy. As she comes face to face with a dark legacy that has been buried–literally and figuratively–for decades, she also has a series of strange encounters with the enigmatic Frank Byron, (Comeau) Cyrus’ bastard son. In Frank, Clair ultimately finds her only ally in a battle to redeem the crimes of the past.
About the film Urman says, “With its brooding atmospherics, eccentric and disturbing characters, and sinister plotting, “Frank the Bastard” transposes all the classic Southern Gothic trappings to the northern-most corner of the country—which is why we call it a ‘Northern Gothic.’ Brad has made a highly original, multi-layered, multi-genre film that expresses what American independent films should be but too infrequently are.”
“Mark Urman, and Paladin, have been deeply and passionately engaged with this film from the moment they first saw it. For a film maker, Mark is not just a true savant but a storyteller’s best friend- he possesses that rare combination- the insight and wisdom to understand the multi-layered and complex nature of a film without ever losing his pure love of the medium as entertainment,” says writer and director Brad Coley.
Paladin’s most recent release, in association with Unison Films, was Jemaine Clement and Taika Waitit’s indie comedy sensation, “What We Do In The Shadows.”
Film Buff will be handling worldwide digital distribution on “Frank the Bastard” starting this summer.
