Though not everyone else necessarily agreed with me, I was a big fan of Monogamy when I caught it at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. It's a small and stylish indie starring Chris Messina, previously known as a bland good guy in movies like Away We Go and Julie & Julia, as a man frustrated with his job and bored in his relationship who takes up a voyeuristic relationship with a mystery woman. It's the narrative directing debut of Dana Adam Shapiro, who previously made a splash with the documentary Murderball, and it's a nicely authentic New York story with a really revelatory performance by Messina in the middle.
Monogamy was always going to be a better fit for a small indie audience, so it's great news to hear that Oscilloscope Laboratories has picked up the film for distribution. The company founded by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch specializes in distributing small, tricky movies, from the devastating documentary Dear Zachary to last year's surprise Oscar contender The Messenger; Monogamy is far less heart-wrenching than either of those films, but still a great pick for the small-scale distributor. Plus, the press release announcing the deal uses the typical quotes from the director and executives to have a hilarious exchange between Yauch and Shapiro about how, well, parents just don't understand:
Dana Adam Shapiro said, “"Since 1987 I've been mad at my parents for not letting me see the Beastie Boys on their 'License to Ill' tour. Years later, I applied for a job at Grand Royal magazine; didn't get it. To now be in business with Oscilloscope is seriously a dream come true for me."Adam Yauch, head of Oscilloscope said, "I hear you, man. When I was 13 my parents didn't let me go see KISS at the Garden, and I’m still mad about that. If Peter Criss starts a film distribution company, I’m making a film for him."
The plan is to release Monogamy sometime in early 2011, so keep an eye out for it then if you're looking for something unique and a little strange, or if you fell for Chris Messina in Julie & Julia and are dying to see his darker side.
