Production Companies American Entertainment (as American Entertainment Co.), Cinedelta, Cinerenta Medienbeteiligungs KG (as Cinerenta), David Kirschner Productions
A powerful, provocative. and frightening film about faith, lost innocence, and the sometimes indistinguishable nature of good and evil in the contemporary world, FRAILTY is an artfully-constructed psychological thriller that combines masterful storytelling with ambitious and disturbing themes. The remarkable directorial debut of acclaimed actor Bill Paxton, who also plays the pivotal role of DAD in the movie, FRAILTY portrays the destruction of a once-idyllic Southern family, a father and his two young sons who are tested in extreme and unexpected ways. Paxton calls upon his accomplished cast, including Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, and newcomers Matthew O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter, and his crew, including award-winning cinematographer Bill Butler, to create a classic Hitchcockian world that is rich in atmosphere, suspense, and surprise. Written by Brent Hanley and produced by David Kirschner and David Blocker, FRAILTY is a Lions Gate release.
The FRAILTY screenplay is a masterpiece of storytelling. Part thriller and part mystery, the plot is utterly original every step of the way as it builds to its stunning finish. "Brent Hanley's script is truly a revelation," says producer David Kirschner. "One of the qualities indicative of great writing is that, at each read, you get more out of it." FRAILTY has that kind of complexity of plot and theme.
The title itself refers to the frailty of human perception. Screenwriter Brent Hanley turned to classic films, novels, and even music for his inspiration. "I looked at a lot of Hitchcock films when I wrote FRAILTY," Hanley explains. "I watched "Night of the Hunter," and listened to music by Leonard Cohen. FRAILTY even references the Bible, offering a modern take on "The Story of Isaac" and elements of the Old Testament."
Hanley's script made a tremendous impression on Bill Paxton, an actor best known for his performances in such films as TWISTER, TITANIC, APPOLLO 13, and A SIMPLE PLAN. Paxton describes FRAILTY as "a movie in the great tradition of Alfred Hitchcock or Robert Aldrich. It is a film that implies very, very dark things." Intrigued by the script's complex themes and edgy approach to storytelling, Paxton found himself wanting more involvement than the role of DAD. Paxton began his film career as a set dresser for Roger Corman and has always been at home behind the camera. The more he thought about FRAILTY, the more he realized he had found the perfect project for his directorial debut. "It's intricate. It's complicated. It's an original Noir /Gothic thriller set in East Texas," Paxton explains. " I knew the landscape. I knew the characters. I knew the parameters of this kind of story from my work in A SIMPLE PLAN, ONE FALSE MOVE, and TRAVELLER. I learned a lot working with directors such as Sam Raimi. And I thought, I can do this."
Paxton's arrived at his decision to direct FRAILTY partly because he found himself a little uncomfortable at the thought of being directed by someone else in this controversial role. "I was a little nervous about committing to play Dad," he admits. "I was worried that a wild-eyed director would get hold of this material and sensationalize it just to shock people. And that, to me, wouldn't do the script justice." Far from sensationalized, Paxton's interpretation of FRAILTY is very classical. "My vision of this story has always been the idea that it is a very edgy script that pushes a lot of buttons, especially because children are involved. But I thought that's exactly the reason to give it a real, old Hollywood approach, where all of the darkness is implied instead of being explicit. We hear a chop or a scream, but we never see a drop of blood," Paxton explains. His careful and imaginative approach to dramatizing FRAILTY'S intense and potentially shocking moments elevates the material, making the film a memorable tale of suspense and horror.
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