When watching some of your favorite shows, you can fall in love with some of the characters.  There is no shame in doing that as you spend thirty minutes to an hour watching their stories each week and you cry when they are gone from the story.  But what makes us love these characters so much that we feel like they are part of our family?  Is it because we believe that they hold a piece or ourselves, or do we believe that they could be real?

Getting out of prison three years ago, Alex is looking to get out of his current line of work as he is paying off a large debt to his group.  As he tries to move away, someone is always there to bring him back in and perform the work has been so good in doing over the years.  With plenty of money saved up, Alex is ready to take his shot and get out of town, but when his apartment gets broken into and his close friend is killed, he has no choice to do what he is told for fear of being knocked off himself.

Sam is a young paramedic with a past that she is trying to run away from.  Only wanting to focus on her current situation and not wanting to look back for anything or anyone, she is consistently sitting on her therapist’s couch, talking about her feelings.  Although she seems fine in the real world, her demons come back to haunt her when her mother comes and reminds Sam that she is from the streets as well and did plenty of things to survive when not having any money.

Both Alex and Sam have to find a way to escape their problems and do not have a better way than to turn on their television sets.  Alex is watching a series that has to do with a troubled paramedic, while Sam is watching a show about a thief that is trying to start a new life.  Religiously, the two have been watching each other’s lives, but one fateful night they are tuned in to their favorite show and are stuck looking at each other through the screen.  As the two try to figure out what is happening, their lives take drastic turns as there are people in their own stories that should not be interfered with, but not knowing how the story ends could be the most frustrating thing of all.

The Frame follows two complete strangers that have been following each other’s lives on their television sets for a few seasons.  Each one is intrigued by the other, but when they both turn on their televisions at the same time, they can see each other, watching.  Not knowing what is causing this, Alex and Sam try to figure out what is really happening.  The closer they are to getting answers, something or someone comes to intervene since it is not scripted for the couple ever be together.  The two are forced to fight for their lives, along with what they truly love, which could hurt them more if they get it, versus their normal lives without it.

An interesting story to say the least that I am still replaying in my head a days after watching it.  I love how the two different storylines tie together and then again do not.  When asked to explain what the movie is about, I can only say it is a science fiction mystery that faces off between reality and art and once you see it you will understand why.  It is dark enough that keep my attention, with enough going on in the background to keep you guessing who is living in the show and who is living in reality.  Happy Viewing.

There has come a point in all of our lives that we have discovered a story that we wish could come to life. We would give nothing more than to be part of that journey and see the amazing places the characters go and experience the wonder of what we feel from the story first hand.  

It's a dream that tends to fade as we grow older, but the reality of such wishes have far reaching implications. We are shielded thanks to those stories. We don't ever see the true effect of the dangers some characters face on their psyche and that's what makes entertainment so safe for all of us.  But what if that childhood dream came true? It's a question answered in the fascinating new film, The Frame. 

It's unfortunate how sometimes the world consumes good men and turns them bad.  Such is the case with Alex.  At his core he is a good man, but he makes a living pulling off one incredible heist after another.  He's excellent at what he does but wants nothing more than to be free.  In fact it seems Alex can never catch a break and his only solace is watching his favorite show Urban Hope. But when the star of that show begins to communicate with Alex, his world is turned upside down. For the character he knows as Sam, watches Alex on his own weekly program Thieves and Saints and time is running out for Alex, for the series finale is drawing near and Sam begins to believe that since she can speak to her television hero, that maybe just maybe...she can save his life from disappearing forever. 

So, before we get into a few more words about this film, let's talk about the fact that I am reviewing a film that is indeed coming to limited release first. If you are in Denver, the film opens on Friday the 17th and will play for a week before the motion picture heads on tour to Los Angeles, Portland, New York and Austin, Texas.  So why review it now? Because it needs to be talked about and if you aren't in those cities, you will get your chance to see it everywhere in about a month when it is released on home video.

Now I mentioned this movie needs to be reviewed because of one simple reason, it is really a fresh and original idea. The concept of the characters we enjoy on our favorite shows week in and week out, suffering and in many ways never being able to escape the realities of their harsh lives is absolutely fascinating. It is a plot twist that locks your attention in because well...now you have to know how the story ends.  

But the wonder of the story doesn't end there, Sam's character is equally as fascinating because well...we are forced to question her sanity.  Is she really talking with Alex or is she that lonely in her life that she has nothing more? That's when the film really takes off because now you as the viewer are left wondering what is real and not real.  Are we trapped in the mind of a person that cannot handle their only escape from a miserable reality is coming to an end? Or is this a break in the fabric of space and time and the stories we cherish really do live on?  It's an ending that I won't spoil because it is on par with the brilliant ambiguity of American Psycho. 


This is one I will be watching again first chance I get because I get the funny feeling there is more to the story to be found on multiple viewings. So if this movie is hitting your town soon, go see it.  Once it hits home video, go see it.  This is a wonderful motion picture that will leave you pondering long after the credits have come to their end.