Since April, an unassuming black case plastered with stickers has been making its way from New York City through Tennessee, Florida, Rhode Island, California, Nevada and beyond. Inside lies the sole copy of Handle With Care a hand-burned DVD that doubles as a traveling showcase for a film about a marriage that unravels. The project, imagined by writer-director Matthew James Thompson treats the disc like a communal pet, passing from one viewer to the next while collecting notes, keepsakes, and handwritten reviews along the route.
The DIY DVD Club as a Distribution Engine
Thompson describes the case as a hybrid of nostalgia and guerrilla marketing. It holds the DVD in custom-cut foam, a portable player, cables, a remote, and a set of special instructions. Among the items are the filmmaker’s notebook—”The only thing that I’d be mortified to lose is the notebook,” he told IndieWire—and a grab-bag of memorabilia collected from each participant. One Brooklyn viewer wrote in July, “It’s kind of a crazy feeling to know you are the only one watching at this exact moment. It’s just you and the movie.”
Behind the Story: A Breakup Comedy on a Road-Trip
Handle With Care follows Cole (played by Justin H. Min), a newly single copywriter in New York who must unload wedding gifts after his short-lived marriage to Reese (Nicole Brydon Bloom) collapses. The script darts between witty banter and a skeptical view of deep connection, reflecting Thompson’s ambition to blend humor with emotional honesty. The filmmaker, who bypassed film school for skate-boarding videos, says his process is rooted in learning by doing. Producer Ashim Ahuja emphasized that the project “wasn’t just the business of making movies… it was the life and heartbeat of what it takes to truly create something.”
Festival Recognition and the Turn to Physical Media
Breaking into the festival circuit proved difficult; the team noted that “competition in those programming spaces can sometimes resemble more of a bracket system than a true meritocracy.” Yet the film finally debuted at the Rhode Island International film festival where it captured the Grand Prize for Best Feature Film and a second award for Min’s performance. The accolades spurred Thompson to keep searching for an audience, prompting the launch of the traveling DVD club in the spring. He sorted sign-ups by ZIP code, often acting as the courier himself, ferrying the case across New York and later through the West.
He estimates roughly 90 people have signed up, with only about 25 to 30 having actually received the case so far. The financial math underscores the project’s frugality: while $1,438 was spent on festival submissions, the DIY distribution network cost about $521 to create.
Why the Tangible Matters
The filmmakers argue that a physical object can cut through the noise of algorithms and streaming platforms. “I do think the work stands for itself without this marketing gimmick or whatever you want to call it,” Thompson explained. “Hopefully, they work hand in hand and break through the noise so people really spend some time with it.” Ahuja added, “It’s kind of replicating the Blockbuster experience. I think we miss that tangibility.” The case even includes bonus material—audition tapes and a short documentary about the neighbor who inspired scenes in the film—crafted after trial and error with 3D-printed inserts that promptly fell apart, leading to a switch to foam.
Receiving the DVD feels like a ritual. A participant outside Nashville wrote, “If you didn’t get into any film festival just so this film could reach people this way, well, I’m not mad about it.” The next public screening is slated for the Newport Beach Film Festival in October, ensuring the traveling disc will continue its cross-country pilgrimage while the movie reaches new eyes.
