Rage Against the Machine: The Film Arcade Hold “James White” Tight

Making their third Sundance deal (following Kris Swanberg’s Unexpected and Jim Strouse’s People, Places, Things) the Film Arcade folks have landed one of the top directorial debuts of year, and in the same token one of the best reviewed items out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Josh Mond‘s award-winning James White. Surprisingly not picked up directly in Park City, the indie distrib have a pair of career best, future Indie Spirit noms/performances (Christopher Abbott and Cynthia Nixon) to work with in what will be a late theatrical release and awards push.

Gist: James White is a troubled twentysomething trying to stay afloat in a frenzied New York City. As he retreats further into a hedonistic lifestyle, his mother’s battle with a serious illness faces a series of setbacks that force him to assume more responsibility. With the pressure on him mounting, James must find new reserves of strength or risk imploding completely.

Worth Noting: Josh Mond previously worked with Abbott on the short 1009, and has a producer in Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene.

Do We Care?: You’d think the skill-set that was put on display with career-defining perfs from Christopher Abbott of and Cynthia Nixon would have made this a logical pick-up hours after its debut.