Ronald Bronstein

Ronald Bronstein was a Brooklyn-based filmmaker who first gained recognition for his directorial debut feature "Frownland" (2007), an acerbic film that followed a socially inept door-to-door coupon salesman as he tries on multiple occasions to communicate with other people. Before he wrote and directed his critically acclaimed feature debut, Bronstein worked for almost a decade as a projectionist all over New York City, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Walter Reade Theater, and numerous other art houses. He worked for one year as a copywriter in Sweden, and used up his savings to shoot and finish "Frownland," the script of which came from Bronstein's personal experiences as an unhappy and judgmental 20-something living in the city. He had the idea for a script for a few years, but it was not until he met the film's lead, Dore Mann, who worked as a deli clerk and suicide hotline operator, that everything came together. Bronstein reportedly worked with Mann for six months to encapsulate the character's dysfunction, and the result was a deeply affecting character study that earned accolades when it premiered at the 2007 South By Southwest Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Prize. Following the success of "Frownland," Bronstein directed a short film titled "Round Town Girls" (2008) and cowrote the short "John's Gone" (2010), a fever dream bleak comedy that was directed by fellow filmmakers Benny and Josh Safdie. Bronstein's collaboration with the Safdie brothers resulted in his being cast in the pivotal lead role in the critically acclaimed film "Daddy Longlegs." The movie, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 under the title "Go Get Some Rosemary," explored the two weeks of the year that Lenny Sokol (Bronstein), a boorish and deadbeat dad who worked as a projectionist, had custody of his two boys, aged five and seven. Critics heaped praise on Bronstein's nuanced turn as a manic, possibly sociopathic father who could not seem to grasp his parental responsibilities. In spite of his lack of acting experience, Bronstein successfully brought to life his character's frazzled state of mind without going over the top, earning himself a nomination for Best Male Lead at the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards.