First Look: Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s Francine

We’ve been raving about this pair of filmmakers since we caught their candid, visual essay The Patron Saints at TIFF last year, and now we’ve got a pair of stills from Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s feature film debut, which is set to showcase at the 2012 edition of the Berlin Film Festival. Featuring Melissa Leo in what we imagine is an atypical role for the actress, Francine (#23 in our Most Anticipated Films list for 2012) will have its U.S premiere at SXSW next March in the Emerging Visions section. This is about a woman struggling to find her place in a downtrodden lakeside town after leaving behind a life in prison. Taking a series of jobs working with animals, Francine turns away those who take an interest in her and instead seeks intimacy in the most unlikely of places.