Four years ago, I was blown away by Ink, the second feature from Colorado-based filmmaker Jamin Winans. Ink was not without its flaws, but ultimately, I found it to be a stunning and thought-provoking fantasy film. Or, as I wrote in my review:
Ink definitely wears its heart on its sleeve, and is packed with themes of redemption, guilt, forgiveness, the cancerous effects of materialism and pride, the importance of fathers, and the power of stories — to name a few. I was quite moved at several points during Ink; even if the film didn’t make the most logical sense, it certainly cut to the heart.
Since then, I haven’t heard or seen much from Winans, aside from a clever short film. As such, I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that he has completed a new feature, another fantastical-looking film titled The Frame.
The film’s trailer is a kaleidoscope of intriguing imagery, including a shot of a large alien-looking structure looming over a city and a scene where somebody dissolves into something like black liquid. What it all means, though, isn’t too clear, and Winans is keeping any plot details under wraps for now.
One of the more remarkable things about Ink was that it was entirely self-produced and self-released. Winans is using a similar strategy for The Frame, which will also be self-released this fall.