Strand Take “Refuge” in Jessica Goldberg’s Play to Film Debut

Someone at Strand Releasing’s home vid dept will have a minor “pickle” of a situation when it comes to indexing their library, as the company which a couple of years back picked up François Ozon’s Le Refuge, have now added Refuge by first time helmer Jessica Goldberg. The pic received some indie festival love playing at the ’12 of the Hamptons and Woodstock Film Festivals and we estimate a 2014 release is in the works.

Gist: Starring Krysten Ritter in the lead matriarchal role, this is set in a rundown house somewhere in America, and tells the darkly funny and touching story of a young woman, Amy, forced to care for her younger brother and sister after her parents have abandoned the family and fled to Florida for a vacation from which they will never return. In a desperate attempt at connection, Amy brings home a drifter, Sam, for a one-night stand.

Worth Noting: Goldberg comes from a writing background (she’s a graduate of NYU’s Dramatic Writing Program and Juilliard) and penned Chris Messina’s untitled directing debut, which we have a hunch will be selected for the upcoming Sundance Film Festival.

Do We Care?: THR suggests that the stageplay might have worked better, but we’ve been fans of Americana and drifters since My Own Private Idaho, so we might check it out upon delivery.