Ronald Bronstein

As a filmmaker, Ronald Bronstein was more interested in people's nuanced behaviors rather than their stories. As an actor, this passion for exploring subtle gestures and extreme personalities most likely elevated his portrayal of a frazzled and inexperienced father in the feature film "Daddy Longlegs" (2010), a smart and stylish fictionalized portrait of the real-life father of the movie's directors, Josh and Benny Safdie. Bronstein, in spite of his acting inexperience, delivered an unflinchingly raw and multilayered performance that depicted the range of emotions, from elation to anger to frenzy, that the brothers' father experienced during the two weeks that he was court-ordered to care for his elementary-aged sons. Bronstein's poignant performance in the feature film earned him not only rave reviews, but it also proved that he was a genius behind as well as in front of the camera.