Damsel
The Zellner brothers-no strangers to fans of independent cinema-head out to the Wild West and make it clear that a great deal has changed since John Wayne started his well-deserved retirement. Instead of strong, silent types, Damsel features a talkative weakling named Samuel (Robert Pattinson) in search of his beloved Penelope (Mia Wasikowska). According to Samuel, she was taken against her will. It soon turns out, however, that she isn't waiting to be rescued: in this western-shown at Sundance-everything is amiss. Instead of horses, we get a bored pony named Butterscotch, "damsels in distress" are much better with a gun than their rescuers, and the Zellner brothers can't stop giggling at the sight of surprised audiences. Tired of being in the company of yet another idiot, Wasikowska, in one of the best performances of her career, screams at one point "Put your dynamite away!" And it immediately becomes clear that this is going to be less Sergio Leone and more Mel Brooks.
David Zellner
Born in Colorado in 1974, David Zellner is an American director and actor. He made his film debut with Plastic Utopia, for which he wrote the screenplay along with his brother, Nathan, and in 2014 he made the award-winning Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter. As an actor, he appeared in the drama Person to Person, which was screened at the American Film Festival, and in David Lowery's Ain't Them Bodies Saints. His latest western, Damsel, directed along with this brother, stars Mia Wasikowska and Robert Pattinson.
Selected filmography
1997 Plastic Utopia
2008 Goliath
2012 Kid-Thing
2014 Kumiko / Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
2018 Damulka / Damsel
Nathan Zellner
Born in 1975, Nathan Zellner is an American director and actor who lives in Austin. Together with his brother, David, with whom he has been collaborating since their 1997 film Plastic Utopia, he recently directed thewestern Damsel, which was screened at the Sundance Festival and in Berlin. He has appeared in a number offilms, including Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (he also co-wrote the script), Kid-Thing andAndrew Bujalski's Beeswax. Since 2003, he has also been the voice of one of the characters in the animated series Red vs. Blue.
Filmography
2005 Flotsam/Jetsam (short)
2009 Cinemad Mix Tape #1 (video short)
2016 Black Something (short)
2018 Damulka / Damsel
Cast & Crew
