Taglines: Like him, or not.
Mainstream Movie Storyline. Just above Hollywood Boulevard lives Frankie, a young woman in her early 20s trying to navigate who she wants to be. With the death of Frankie’s father still lingering, Frankie knows she wants to do something of meaning but isn’t sure how and with the world in a current state of so much content and narcissism, it’s hard to not “compare and despair.”
Stuck working as a bartender at a corner comedy club with her best friend Jake, Frankie questions what people today really value. It isn’t until she has a few cosmic run-ins with the mysterious Link, a man that seems to live life without rules that it inspires Frankie to film him and upload his anti-mainstream rants onto the internet.
Together, with the help of Jake, this unlikely band of outsiders rise to internet stardom. However, it’s hard to stay sane when the pressure of relevancy becomes important and new characters, like manager Mark, start making demands to bring in money. To make matters more complicated, Frankie and Link start getting romantically entwined.
Frankie watches as Link becomes the epitome of everything he once denounced. It isn’t until Link publicly humiliates a young fan Isabel and Jake quits the team that Frankie really questions if she is also becoming the monster she helped create. A love story of being in love with someone who doesn’t love themselves set against the new emerging culture of today’s world.
Mainstream is a 2020 American comedy-drama film directed by Gia Coppola, from a screenplay by Coppola and Tom Stuart. It stars Andrew Garfield, Maya Hawke, Nat Wolff, Johnny Knoxville and Jason Schwartzman. Principal photography began in May 2019. Production concluded on June 14, 2019.. It had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2020. It was released on May 7, 2021, by IFC Films.
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Director’s Statement
With Mainstream I wanted to tell a story about social media and its nefarious effects on the human psyche. I am fascinated with how this new form of connectivity breeds narcissism and insecurity in such a unique and profound way. Whether it be a celebrity or a close friend, the majority of social media users falsely portray aspects of their lives.
These white lies result in a mass sense of inadequacy. With everyone acting as their own PR machine, it’s becoming difficult to define what’s real and what is fallacy. Does one exist if there’s no audience watching? Mainstream is a cautionary tale that inspires people to want to be unique rather than be a part of the ceaseless brainwash we absorb.
Mainstream (2021)
Directed by: Gia Coppola
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Maya Hawke, Nat Wolff, Jason Schwartzman, Alexa Demie, Johnny Knoxville, Charles Melton, Ann-Sophie Vanlommel, Cassandra Starr
Screenplay by: Tom Stuart, Gia Coppola, Pascale Coppola
Production Design by: Nathan Parker
Cinematography by: Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Film Editing by: Glen Scantlebury
Costume Design by: Jacqui Getty
Set Decoration by: Taylor Jean
Art Direction by: Mars Feehery
Visual Effects: Michael Viscione
Music by: Devonté Hynes
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language and some graphic nudity.
Distributed by: IFC Films
Release Date: May 7, 2021 (United States)
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