PRATFALL
A troubled insomniac encounters an enigmatic French tourist in Central Park. The two set off on a sleepless New York adventure as the city casts a shadow over them.
Filmmaker Alex Andre captures an unusual connection between two strangers. PRATFALL walks a highwire of intimacy, trust, and confession. It’s a powerfully human story through the lens of two culturally diverse individuals.
Chloé Groussard gives Joelle a tangible vulnerability. She is honest, wide-eyed, and receives Burge’s energy at every turn.
Joshua Burge (BUZZARD) should be a household name. His ability to slip into the skin of every character he plays is astounding. The manic energy delivered in Eli wreaks of an authentic New Yorker who’s been there too long without the proper mental health care. He is abrasive to most strangers and yet embraces Joelle’s company fullfold. His chemistry with Groussard is the stuff of the gods. It’s challenging to decipher which lines of dialogue are organic or written by Andre. A compliment to all
Filmed predominantly on the Upper West Side (trust a local gal to recognize every street corner in the opening scene), moving its way east, then south through midtown and back, the hand-held cinematography lends to the intimacy and claustrophobia of Eli and Joelle’s inner turmoil. The classical score lulls you during the long follow shots. The upbeat soundtrack is a fantastic foil.
The script feels like an eclectic mix of overheard conversations and romanticizing the city. The pace is uneven, but that does not lessen the most rewarding scenes, seeped in unresolved wounds and the essence of New York. PRATFALL boasts a tragic finale that somehow manages to be poetic perfection. It is a complex and quintessentially human walk and talk in NYC, teeming with trauma and connection.
Week-long theatrical release begins April 26 at Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles,
the same day as Freestyle Digital Media releases the film on
all major VOD platforms in North America (pre-order)
Credits
Director/Writer/
Co-Producer – Jordyn Barber
107 minutes, USA, 2023
Follow:
PRATFALL Instagram: @pratfallmovie
Alex Andre Instagram: @thatalexandre
Joshua Burge Instagram: @joshuatheburge
Chloé Groussard Instagram: @craph
About Freestyle Digital Media
The digital distribution unit of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, Freestyle Digital Media, is a premiere multi-platform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, satellite, digital and streaming platforms. Capitalizing on a robust infrastructure, proven track record, and a veteran sales team, Freestyle Digital Media is a true home for independent films. Recent releases include THE ROAD DOG starring comedian Doug Stanhope, SURVIVE starring HBO’s GAME OF THRONES star Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins, the music documentary profiling blues guitar legends Jimmie Vaughan & Stevie Ray Vaughan, BROTHERS IN BLUES, DEAR ZOE starring Sadie Sink from the hit Netflix series STRANGER THINGS, Jessica Capshaw and Theo Rossi. Other Freestyle Digital Media titles include BEST SUMMER EVER the teen musical featuring a fully integrated cast and crew of people with and without disabilities, produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson, THE WEDDING YEAR starring Sarah Hyland and Anna Camp, THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH starring Danny Houston, UNTOGETHER starring Jamie Dornan, Jemima Kirke, Ben Mendelsohn, Alice Eve and Billy Crystal, the action-comedy BETTER START RUNNING starring Academy Award-winner Jeremy Irons and Maria Bello, THE BACHELORS starring Academy Award-winner J.K. Simmons, Julie Delpy and Odeya Rush and the award-winning documentary HONDROS produced by Jamie Lee Curtis and Jake Gyllenhaal.
For more information, visit:
Director Bio:
Alex Andre is an award-winning Director, Cinematographer, Writer & Producer based in Los Angeles. He is recognized for SADA (2022), which won 12 awards and received Official Selection in over 20 festivals worldwide. His feature film debut is PRATFALL starring Joshua Burge and Chloé Groussard. Andre also has producing credits on Alison Bagnall’s FUNNY BUNNY (2015) and Erin Li’s KEPLER X47 (2013). Andre was raised in the South of France and the English countryside before moving to Los Angeles. He cites Alan Clarke, Nicholas Roeg and The Dardennes as early cinematic influences.
Star Bios:
Joshua Burge, a Michigan native, has appeared in THE REVENANT opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, 20TH CENTURY WOMEN opposite Greta Gerwig, and BURDEN opposite Garrett Hedlund, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. RELAXER, Joshua’s third collaboration with filmmaker Joel Potrykus, premiered to great reviews at SXSW. This collaboration follows APE (2012) and BUZZARD (2014), the latter of which also made its world premiere at SXSW and was named one of Indiewire’s top films of the year.
Chloé Groussard is a French actress, born in Bretagne. She took her first theater classes at the age of 10 in her hometown. After graduating from a business master degree, she decided to turn her passion into her everyday life. Chloé intensified her acting training in Paris and New York and she started performing both on stage and on screen – in France, Italy and the United States. After giving her the role of Valérie in his short film Sada, Alex Andre chose her to embody Joelle alongside American actor Joshua Burge in his first feature film, Pratfall, marking also the feature debut of Chloé – for which she won the award of best actress at the Manchester Film Festival. Chloé is also part of the upcoming Netflix series of Stefano Sollima, Il Mostro, and she’s now represented by French prestigious agency, Time Art.
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