Following in the footsteps of the like-minded A24, NEON (“Anatomy Of A Fall” “Infinity Pool”) is quickly becoming the go-to studio for adventurous indie cinema and exciting arthouse fare. The studio pulled off quite the feat in 2020 when their film, “Parasite” directed by Bong Joon-Ho, became the first non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture and became their highest-grossing earner ever ($262 million worldwide). Constantly releasing interesting indies, their latest is the comedy “Stress Positions,” which debuted at Sundance earlier this year.
Starring comedian John Early—known for his appearances in the gonzo Netflix sketch comedy series, “I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson”— “Stress Positions” is a Brooklyn-set comedic thriller from writer/director Theda Hammel and Neon, which is getting primed for its April release.
READ MORE: Stress Positions’ Review: These Brooklyn Millennial Queers Were Not All Right [Sundance]
Here is the official “Stress Positions” synopsis:
Terry Goon keeps strict quarantine in his ex-husband’s Brooklyn brownstone while caring for his nephew, a 19-year-old Moroccan model named Bahlul. After an electric scooter accident, Bahlul is bedridden in an entire leg cast. Unfortunately for Terry, everyone in his life wants to meet the model.
The Playlist reviewed “Stress Positions” at the Sundance Film Festival earlier in the year. That review wrote of the filmmaker, “Hammel has talent and something to say that’s worth paying attention to. There’s a spark of something there, eventually. It’s a little messy, but it’s definitely there. It also just might take a while before you want to hear it.”
Hammel also provides the original music for her film, and Fahemm Ali works with the filmmaker to break the story. Early leads a cast featuring Qaher Harhash, Hammel, Rebecca F. Wright, Amy Zimmer, Ali, Davidson Obennebo, and John Roberts. The producing team comprises Brad Becker-Parton, John Early, Stephanie Roush, Allie Jane Compton, Greg Nobile, Tom Quinn, Jeff Deutchman, and Mason Speta.
“Stress Positions” will open in limited release in New York City on April 15 before expanding to Los Angeles and additional cities on April 26. Watch the first trailer below.
