In no way, shape, or form do I want to take away from Ink (this thought alone has prevented me from writing this review for 4 days). Ink changed my life. It was a perfect blend of originality, consciousness, and movie-making that will likely never be duplicated. Didn't expect that level to be showcased again in The Frame, but I was expecting more. The Frame was slow, confusing, and just plain laborious without a payoff. I wanted to love this movie - and that's the reason for my rating, because I was so disappointed. I'll chalk it up to artist interpretation and not everyone liking the same thing. I'm ok with that. It actually makes me love Ink that much more because it was obviously a special place in time where literally everything came together. Fingers are crossed for the next project...because anyone who had any involvement with Ink deserves to have their art watched. Without hesitation.

"The Frame" follows the characters of Alex and Sam. Alex is a man who works for the cartel and tries to escape his life of crime. Sam is an ambulance paramedic who is struggling with her past and is trying to live a normal, healthy life. Somehow these two characters lives collide in a complicated and fantasy like way that makes us the audience question what's real and what's fiction. "The Frame" is directed by Jamin Winans who also brought us the movie "Ink" (2009), which I have not seen. "The Frame" is one of the most original films I've seen along with many other films I've seen. The film starts as a crime drama but turns into a psychological thriller, which I really like. The leap from one genre to the next was handled so well by Winans, and it was a risk that was truly worth taking.The performances by David Carranza, and Tiffany Mualem (Alex and Sam) were good to say the least. The performances weren't groundbreaking or Oscar worthy, but they did project the story and made me very invested in the film and what was going to happen to these two characters. The plot of the film is complicated, I wouldn't say it's David Lynch complicated but I would say that your brain has to be turned on when watching the film. A couple of flaws I had with the film was some of the acting. At times I felt that the performances got overly cheesy or dramatic. And the other flaw I had with the film was that I felt it took itself a little too seriously. I do understand why it did but I just felt that the film could've been a little more loose and didn't have to make every scene so dramatic.**SPOILERS** **SPOILERS** **SPOILERS** **SPOILERS** **SPOILERS**If you're still reading this then you obviously saw the film. That's my last warning.Now I'm just going to put it out there right away, the character of Sam is imagining everything that has to do with the character of Alex. Alex is nothing but Sam's imagination. Sam is trying to escape her past and live in the present so she can move forward in the future. By doing this she sees her therapist. Her therapist tells her that she's been doing a good job at "distracting" herself and "watching the television". TV plays a big role in the film. Obviously Sam is going through a lot of stress in her life and is possibly psychologically ill, which causes her to see the television show "Thieves AND Saints" which stars Alex as himself. Like her therapist said before, Alex is a "distraction" for Sam, which is why she's the only person who can see this show. Alex is a reflection of Sam. When Alex first sees Sam on his television they both do the same movements and imitate one another. This happens with every time they see each other. To prove that Sam is imagining all of this, there's a scene in the film where she calls the writers of the television show "Thieves AND Saints". When she's forwarded to the writers all she hears is her voice over the phone saying exactly what she's saying. This proves that Alex's destiny and story is all because of Sam, and she can change it. When the two characters try to meet in person on the bridge they both sit at the exact same spot. While this is happening Sam's therapist just so happens to be there and sits next to her. And at the same time Alex's boss just so happens to be there and sits next to him. This is Sam imagining herself as Alex, and imagining that her therapist is Alex's boss. Whenever the two characters try to meet in public they can never find each other because one lives in the physical world while the other lives inside someone's head. The Mechanic very much resembles the character of the cowboy in "Mulholland Dr." (2001). The Mechanic resembles death or the devil. I'm not exactly sure what impact he had on the film but he added an extra layer of substance to this already complicated story.The end of the film is pretty much Sam getting over her psychosis. The last thirty minutes of the film is Sam imagining all these crazy things happening. I personally think she was just sitting on her couch the entire time while all these insane things started to unfold. Just to put it out there Sam did not get hit by the car and is not dead. At the end when Alex and Sam finally come in contact with one another it symbolizes Sam coming to terms with her past and able to face the future. Both Alex and Sam are facing their past and are having a difficult time facing the future. The character of Alex has his violin of when he was a child. The last time Alex remembers having the violin is when his parents were killed in front of him. The violin is a metaphor or a symbol for Alex's past which he has such a hard time coming to terms with. During the climax of the film when Alex plays the violin he is coming to terms with his past. This causes Sam to come to terms with her past as well because Alex and Sam are the same person it's just that Sam is in control of how she will face her past.This is simply my interpretation of the film so whatever I said may not mean jack to you. I do think "The Frame" is a film that should have more recognition. So go see it if you haven't already. Even though if you didn't watch the film and are still reading this then you just spoiled the movie for yourself.

I was not expecting much.. just came across this by chance, and a couple hours later my body and mind are still trembling with the power and depth of this trip through the surreal. emotional, and visually stimulating, complete fantasy yet somehow touches a very real sense of ones being, and longing for redemption.. fulfillment..a search for completeness.watching, feeling this movie was a profound experience for me, but I will not be surprised that it is not for everyone, or even anyone not prepared..open and patient, for it's magic to take you out of this world.

This was such a beautiful film and the amount of production value pulled off on such a low budget is stunning. I discovered this filmmaker through another great film entitled Ink and am pleased that the director is still doing amazing work. I don't want to spoil too much of this film so won't go into too many details but the two main characters don't know one another and connect in a very unusual way. Seeing how their stories progress with and without one another is very interesting and I couldn't wait to see what happened as it went on. The atmosphere of the film is unlike most films and the director has created an interesting and visual world for us to explore with these characters.The actors are wonderful and the writing gives them room to really let us see that they are lonely and hurting. Helping that along is a beautiful score and I really felt affection for these two characters and wanted everything to work out for them.As the film goes forward and we see more of what happens, we are absolutely pulled into these stories even more and I won't go into the specifics but it's where the film really shines in creativity and brings you imagery that I've never seen before. There are some things I didn't understand and am hoping repeat viewings will help clear them up. But it didn't take away from the overall film or the feelings I experienced while watching it. I look forward to another viewing.