Everything Strange and New

Already bent by the demands of his home life - fatherhood, a faltering marriage, and a submerged mortgage - a tradesman struggles to balance his own appetites and expectations with those of a friend in need. "Everything Strange and New" is an intimate portrait of ordinary people and their longing for certainty in uncertain times.Wayne is a carpenter, no longer young but uneasy with the emotional complexities of adulthood. Aimless hours spent with Leo, his newly-divorced drinking buddy, offer some relief to the heavy gravity at home, where his kids run roughshod over his increasingly unstable wife. Living between these worlds leaves Wayne feeling like a character in someone else's story. Ultimately, a violent spasm rouses him from this fevered American dream.

Directed by Frazer Bradshaw, Everything Strange and New leans on a strong ensemble — Rigo Chacon Jr., Beth Lisick, Jerry McDaniel — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2011.