Release Year: 2016

Rating: 7.1/10 ( voted)

Critic's Score: /100

Director: Ira Sachs

Stars: Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle, Paulina García

Storyline
A new pair of best friends have their bond tested by their parents' battle over a dress shop lease.

Writers: Ira Sachs, Mauricio Zacharias, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle, Paulina García, Jennifer Ehle, Greg Kinnear, Alfred Molina, Talia Balsam, Clare Foley, Andy Karl, Michael Barbieri, Paulina García, Theo Taplitz, Yolonda Ross, Arthur J. Nascarella, Elia Monte-Brown, Stella Schnabel, Johnny Serret, Mauricio Bustamante, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cast:
Jennifer Ehle - Kathy Jardine
Greg Kinnear - Brian Jardine
Alfred Molina -
Talia Balsam - Audrey
Clare Foley - Sally
Andy Karl -
Michael Barbieri - Tony Calvelli
Paulina García -
Theo Taplitz - Jake Jardine
Yolonda Ross -
Arthur J. Nascarella - Stu Gershman
Elia Monte-Brown - Bianca
Stella Schnabel -
Johnny Serret - Visitor at the Museum
Mauricio Bustamante - Acting Teacher

Taglines: Be on each other's side.

Country: USA, Greece

Language: English, Spanish

Release Date: 3 Jan 2016

Runtime: 85 min

Trivia:
Feature film debut of Michael Barbieri See more »

Author:

Rating: 10/10

Sundance veteran Ira Sachs continues to use legendary Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu as his starting point to explore contemporary New York City. Like his previous gem LOVE IS STRANGE (2014), which structured itself around Ozu's TOKYO STORY (1953), Sachs tackles the difficult issue of gentrification and makes it especially challenging to his viewers by presenting the story from the gentrifier's perspective.

Using both of Ozu's films I WAS BORN BUT… (1932) and GOOD MORNiNG (1960), the moral dilemmas of modern society encroaching on the present (and perhaps old fashioned) world is explored from a child's viewpoint. Sachs seems to have nestled himself nicely into a mature genre of strong character-driven, social issue films.

With standout performances by both the glorious Chilean actress Paulina Garcia (from 2013's Gloria) and newcomer Michael Barbieri, who plays the wise-talking "little man" Tony with the kind of natural charm that Anthony Michael Hall projected in John Hughes' SiXTEEN CANDLES (1984) and Jodie Foster in Martin Scorsese's ALiCE DOESN'T LiVE HERE ANYMORE (1974). Ira Sachs is on an Ozu roll. Let's hope he reimagines LATE SPRiNG (1949) or EARLY SUMMER (1951) next.

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