Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 09/05/2026 – Matthew James Thompson’s feature-debut dramedy, “Handle With Care”, is visually beautiful, intimate, relatable, and also deserving of a wide theatrical release.
Justin H. Min (“Umbrella Academy”, After Yang) brings an undeniably lovable energy to his role, elevating his character, Cole. A cynical copywriter who dissects love, marriage, and the “programming” behind it while navigating a messy divorce. Meanwhile, as he inventories and sells off every shared possession, each object becomes a window into the relationship’s rise and collapse, blending biting humor with emotional reckoning.
When unexpected connections begin to challenge his worldview, he must decide whether love is a flawed system to escape or something worth re-learning. Mathew James Thompson captured a classic that is enjoyable to rewatch again and again. In addition, Ashim Ahuja and Barret Hacia produced the film through their company, White Whale.
The cast also includes Nicole Brydon Bloom (Paradise, The Gilded Age), Jon Rudnitsky (SNL, Home Again), Elizabeth Page (Modern Love, Bibi), Peter Jacobsen (House), Amir Arison (The Blacklist), Rosalind Chao (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Michael Cyril Creighton (Only Murders in the Building), Catherine Curtin (Orange Is the New Black), and Peter Gerety ( The Wire, Flight, Sneaky Pete).
About the Film & Interviewee
Henceforth, Cole (Justin H. Min) and Reese (Nicole Brydon Bloom) moved forward with their divorce. However, they each had to learn about the stressful, mundane, long-term task of jumping through a series of legal hoops.
Adding to his madness, his lawyer told him that, since he made six figures last year before he quit to freelance. He would still be considered the higher earner, even though he earns less now. They used your tax return from last year to determine it.
Similarly, it shocked Cole, to pay alimony to his ex-wife. While also tasked with selling their unopened wedding gifts online. The gifts are technically joint assets. Undoubtedly, signing about 200 pages to get a divorce, is dread-inducing and boring in a terrifying way.
Even so, he didn’t want the life they had. He felt relieved, but lost about everything as it all faded away .
A jaded Cole figures out how to sell these gifts due to being a great freelance copywriter. As he delivers in person, he, subsequently finds out more about the buyers when they meet. Hearing their stories, particularly the reasons they connected to the tangible gifts he provided, also restored his faith in love.
To learn more, The Hollywood Times, interviewed up-and-coming, filmmaker Matthew James Thompson. For his independent film, “Handle with Care,”to learn the vision behind it all.
Script Inspiration and Vision
THT: How did you come up with a script for this?
Matthew: Well, you know, it’s funny because I was in a short-lived marriage after college. This was years ago. I’m, you know, happily remarried, but I went through the process of a divorce in my late 20s. The reality of how easy it is to get married and how crazy it is to get divorced from a logistical standpoint.
I started thinking about this societal kind of dichotomy. As in this happily-ever-after, true love, and all these things. We say, in olden times it was all about cattle and land. But when you’re in the unfortunate position of getting divorced. It is all about cattle and land, for lack of a better word.
You know, it’s like assets and delineation. I was like, whoa, this is crazy. How there’s like marketing around one thing, but then there’s this whole industry, like meeting divorce lawyers and these sorts of things.
Matthew: What happens in the film is vastly different from my actual experience. I was inspired by this weird idea of going through it. It is equal parts logistical and very emotional. It’s just like a really difficult breakup that you’re going through.
That was a source of inspiration. I am just fascinated by this societal programming and similar things. The romanticized marketing of marriage and the cold, asset-focused reality of divorce. Societal programming and how people absorb ideas about happiness and relationships.
Cinematography, Location and Lighting in the New York City
The visuals were beautiful; it was well shot and well directed.
THT: “Handle with Care” is the first feature film you wrote/directed and helped executive-produce. What was the process like for getting the film started/funded?
Matthew: I have to take a moment to really call out Justin Henning, our director of photography. Who, I mean, it’s unbelievable what he was able to do with, like, a tiny crew. We were very much an indie production, and Justin brought so much heart and passion, being there from the ground up.
I mean, we were scouting together months before even the rest of the cast had been locked. His team did an amazing job with the lights and finding angles in these locations. Proud of all their work and our collective efforts.
There are only one or two handheld shots in the movie. It’s very much steady and composed. For like two days, we had a Dana dolly. We were able to do some moving. Then for one day we had a Steadicam. But the rest is almost entirely tripod shots.
Locations Are Their Own Stars
THT: You shot many scenes in NYC, was that intentional?
Matthew: We shot for 15 days, averaging two locations a day, with a small assembled cast. We were actually in all five boroughs in NYC. Our wonderful Location Manager, Justin Rosini, brought many ideas to these scenes.
The Director of Photography, Justin Henning, and Location Director, Justin Rosini, deserve a parade in their city every year. The backdrops and locations chosen were perfect. Very colorful, and the concept feels both niche and ordinary. A humorous, heartwarming message.As a proud cynic, it moved me to tears.
Who Are the Characters & Casting
Mathew understands how to write “amalgamations” of real people. The characters Taryn (Elizabeth Page) and her partner, William (Jon Rudnitsky), are based on close male/female friends. They are so legit too, real as fuck friends, couples, and parents. Vividly, they’re jumping on the screen like we know those couples and trust they’re lovable, so props to you!
Matthew had been influenced by his father, a physician who blogs anonymously about patient stories; he developed a habit of collecting real-life narratives. Preferring writing from life experiences rather than making films referential to other films.
The on-screen chemistry between William (Jon Rudnitsky) and Taryn (Elizabeth Page) was a highlight, serving as a love story within this divorce film. The supporting characters feel fully realized despite limited screen time. “They step in for just a moment, but you know they exist before and after,” said Matthew James Thompson.
Their characters were so entertaining and, most importantly, so loving! Their little family, including the baby, will melt anyone’s cold heart. Jon Rudnitsky, perhaps as an actor and comic, brought alluring charm for this character. Like, William is the dream husband, best mate, and father. His take on William is essentially: “I love my fiancé and baby, plus I have amazing self-confidence!”
Memorable and Relatable Personas
He truly embodied his character, William, which will leave the audiences deeply bewitched. He performed engaging scenes with Justin H. Min as, Cole, who needed a best mate like him. The casting director and Matthew should have a toast. Because they aimed and scored for the part of William.
Elizabeth Paige as Taryn was perfect casting; her character was genuine. Like, you wanted to be her friend through the screen. Getting divorced and having your life change in ways you didn’t expect is shattering. Her character was tenacious and insightful, and throughout “Handle With Care,” she was the voice pushing Cole to regrow from his burned heart while setting him up on dating sites.
For couples who are still together after seven years with a baby and a ring, and who got married after New Year’s? I don’t know about you, but they and the city were competing fiercely for the Best in NYC Awards.
Throughout our interview, Matthew discussed the value of both real-world and app-based meetings in online dating. In fact, a close friend, based on the character Taryn, met her partner on a dating app and cautioned that “too much choice” leads people to discard potential connections.
Are people just programmed for marriage or do the benefits outweigh the true realities? Are people just in for the gifts, parties, and status are paperwork, commitment, and divorce.
Nicole Brydon Bloom Expressive Performance as Reese
Nicole Brydon Bloom as Reese was praised for her performance throughout the film. We only get to know her briefly, in bits and pieces, within Cole’s story. This is all from Cole’s perspective and emotional spiral. We at least get to hear how the divorce and the end of the relationship felt for her.
Nicole subtle but expressive face told more story than words can. Like I felt so seen, by her heartbreak and lost. The cold public persona to stop from crying. She really dived into the character making Reese her own. Many would shift to her tale of things. Quite an enduring girl, especially as she stood steadfast against Cole, it was laudable.
Nicole Brydon Bloom and Justin H. Min were just as gorgeous married and divorce. In case anybody was wondering!
Who Is Important in This Story?
I think that was absolutely important, even though you could guess based on how guarded she appears. She is still questioning things and has felt him pulling away from her.
Mathew James Thompson cited Justin H. Min’s ability to make an unlikable character deeply lovable, is extraordinarily hard to teach. Justin H. Min was also noted for a recent film shot in South Korea and released this year, “Slide Strum Mute,” directed by Syeyoung Park and also starring Cho Seung-youn.
Key Themes & Audience Takeaways
The film challenges the tendency to be “hell-bent” on a predetermined vision of happiness. Cole is an unreliable narrator and is revealed to be the source of his own problems. “We have met the enemy, and he is us”quoted Matthew. A famous quote coined by cartoonist Walt Kelly for a 1970 Earth Day poster featuring his comic strip character Pogo.
The unopened wedding gift in storage cited as a key tell. How do you let a year pass you by? Before any importance is placed on the gifts given on the most wonderful day of your lives.
Morally Gray Characters Are Just Relatable
The film pushes back against the cultural demand for purely good or bad characters, encouraging empathy for flawed people. Olivia Wilde in “The Invite,” serves as a real-world example of overcoming public sentiment. Despite the social feeds, true talent will rise.
He sold a mini-fridge to a wine lady. Delivered a knife bought by his uncle. That is used for skinning.To a butcher whose mother watches the same programs over and over again. Sold a mixer to a cute chef who he matches up on dating app.
Cole encounters Henrietta, an older lesbian who works on cars at her auto parts and was once married. while he delivers one of his unopened wedding gifts an omelet pan. That encounter allowed him to hear so much about her and Earlene’s story! When someone loves you out loud and proud. That is such a rare gift with greater connections.
Their encounter was emotionally and, her relationship with Henrietta was a lot of love pack into their time.
The whole idea of death, immortality, and love, all woven in the same fabric of life Always knowing that you only exist till the last person mentions your name. “Handle With Care” made me laugh, cry, agree, disagree, feel butterflies for the first or last time. Today, the world is full of black and white, and they hate gray, but isn’t life just gray, grayer than death?
Distribution & Future Plans for HWC
“Handle With Care” screened at the Rhode Island Film Festival on August 8, 2026. They won the Grand Prize for Best Feature Film and Best Actor at the Rhode Island Film Festival. Matthew is exploring what sustainable distribution looks like: theatrical, DVD, and streaming options. There are thrilling plans underway to bring it into theaters across the country.
In his upcoming plans, Matthew James Thompson said he has three other scripts written in different genres (thriller, haunted house, coming-of-age). All centered on unlikely friendships, while also balancing a return to commercial directing. He excels at this due to financial realities. He expressed hope for acquisition by a distributor such as A24 or Neon to help expand longer-term independent film projects.
Where to Catch Up with Handle With Care?
Writer/Director: Matthew James Thompson
Cast: Jon Rudnitsky (SNL, Home Again), Nicole Brydon Bloom (Paradise, The Gilded Age), Justin H. Min (Umbrella Academy, After Yang) Elizabeth Page (Modern Love, Bibi), Peter Jacobsen (House), Amir Arison (The Blacklist), Rosalind Chao (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Michael Cyril Creighton (Only Murders in the Building), Catherine Curtin (Orange Is the New Black), Melanie Chandra, Tony Macht, Winslow Bright, Gina Brillon, Ethel Fisher, Michael Everette Johnson, Roger Wayne, and Peter Gerety (The Wire, Flight, Sneaky Pete).
Crew: PRODUCERS: Barret Hacia, Ashim Ahuja, Noah Williams, Evan Dinger. EP: John O’Rourke, CASTING BY: SJ Allocco, 1st AD: Emily Sarane, 2nd AD: Nicky Carne, DP: Justin Henning, AC: Mo Shane, 2nd AC: Veronica Lupo, GAFFER: Clemence Therin, KEY GRIP: Jake Sofaer , GRIPS: Hang Nguyen, Brennan Freed, SWINGS: Dan Lando, Ben Hartzell, Maria Jacob, PROD. DESIGN: Emma Cantor, PROP MASTER: Ben Campbell, SET DEC: Regina Melady, ART ASSIST: Ian Steinhauer, DRESSER: Colo Larinde, LOCATIONS: Justin Rosini, COSTUME DESIGNER: Ava Hama, MAKEUP: Lauren Bridges, SOUND: Jeff Gaumer, PAs: Yassar Souisri, Eli Learner, Alex Lynette, Anthony Arca.
Become Part of the DVD Club!
Join their DVD CLUB; it looks like an old Craigslist micro-site, and when you click the DVD club. You can sign up to receive what they created. They used a Pelican case as a durable camera case and laser-cut a Pelican insert. It has a DVD, a notebook with a laser-cut insert, and also a DVD player.
They ship the same case one to everyone each time. That also makes its way back to Matthew James Thompson. The idea is to experience a physical, tangible item that undergoes a metamorphosis, just like the character Cole did with the items he sells all over NYC. Adding audience participation in their own personal journey through “Handle With Care.
Matthew is an avid DVD collector and supporter of physical media. It was essential that there were physical copies of his film. And that society at large benefits from having real copies of physical art in their hands. Streaming can always erase, but DVDs are here, queer, and staying. They are erasing everything, which means stories, connection, and human curiosity also become casualties.
