Adam Frelin

Winning Men

single-channel video
14-minutes
2007

Living on a farm in rural Ohio, my nephews were on the cusp of young adulthood. Wanting to capture that precarious moment, I conceived of a story that involved both of them playing roles similar to their own lives. In the short film, a Midwestern boy ventures out to a nearby county fair where he wins numerous posters of men who are famous for dramatically different reasons. He fills his bedroom with the images of these men. The second young boy stays on the farm, practicing his lessons and tending to his chores. With limited information to rely on in this country setting, both boys are trying to piece together the kind of man they want to become.