Plot
The story of an autistic youth named Ricky who, after a particularly difficult day at school, escapes into the subways. It's here that he starts his real journey, on a days-long voyage of ... See full summary »
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 6.5/10 (114 voted)
Critic's Score: /100
Director: Sam Fleischner
Stars: Jesus Sanchez-Velez, Andrea Suarez Paz, Azul Zorrilla
Storyline
The story of an autistic youth named Ricky who, after a particularly difficult day at school, escapes into the subways. It's here that he starts his real journey, on a days-long voyage of discovery while, above ground, his mom frantically searches for him.
Writers: Rose Lichter-Marck, Micah Bloomberg
Cast: Andrea Suarez Paz -
Mariana
Jesus Sanchez-Velez -
Ricky
Azul Zorrilla -
Carla
Tenoch Huerta -
Ricardo Sr.
Marsha Stephanie Blake -
Carmen
Marin L. Acevedo -
Security video kid
Shahid Ahmed -
Newsstand vendor #2
Jide Alao -
Mello Magic clerk
Rosanny Albarrosa -
Nail clipper
Z. Behl -
Scary clown
Ava Berlow -
Hassid baby
Kevin Bewersdorf -
Juice Guy Jarrett
Sam Bradford -
Storm joker
Rob Bryn -
Beach bum
Walter Burke -
Man with banana
Filming Locations: Far Rockaway, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Technical Specs
Runtime:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 9/10
"And I shall rest my head between two worlds, in the valley of the
vanquished"- Leolo Lozone There have been several well-known films
about autism including Rain Man and The Black Balloon, but none I've
seen are more authentic or moving than Sam Fleischner's remarkable
second feature Stand Clear of the Closing Doors. The film, written by
Rose Lichter-Marck and Micah Bloomberg and winner of a special jury
prize at Tribeca, is without savants, big name stars uttering clever
catch phrases, and non-stop irrelevant chatter. In fact, its main
protagonist, thirteen-year-old Ricky (Jesus Sanchez Valez), hardly
speaks at all. He doesn't need to. His face tells us all we need to
know about his alienation and disconnection.
Ricky, afflicted with what is today known as ASD, an autism spectrum
disorder, lives with his family in Far Rockaway, Queens and struggles
to fit in at school which he attends only sporadically. An
administrator tells Alex's mother Mariana (Andrea Suarez) that they
have no budget to give proper attention to a special needs child like
Ricky but Mariana has little choice. Working as a housekeeper to make
ends meet, she would like to have Ricky attend a special school but is
prevented from doing so by its prohibitive cost and by the fact that
she is undocumented.
Ricky's father Ricardo Sr. (Tenoch Huerta Mejia) works out of town,
taking whatever construction jobs he can get but his work comes with
the price of not being at home to support Ricky. Ricky's sister Carla
(Azul Zorrilla) shows little understanding of her brother's needs and,
like many teenagers, is primarily focused on herself. Resenting having
to take her brother to school every day and pick him up when its time
to go home, one day she "forgets" to pick him up and tells her mother
that he is now old enough to come home by himself. Unfortunately, when
Carla does not show up, Ricky follows a man with a dragon symbol on his
jacket heading onto the subway.
The centerpiece of the film is the boy's eleven-day odyssey riding the
A-train to Manhattan and back, as he encounters all of what New York
has to offer except for connection. He sits by himself, withdrawn and
alone and does not communicate with anyone around him. Shot in real
time (passengers had to sign consent forms), he is a witness to teenage
breakdancers, dire warnings from gospel preachers, old men telling
stories to their children, a young woman clipping her boyfriend's
fingernails, and many "colorful" conversations about almost anything.
Through it all, Ricky remains a passive observer, slowly retreating
deeper into himself. He drinks water only when he finds a half full
bottle and eats nothing until a homeless man gives him a banana.
The only sound we hear coming from him is an internal voice-over
talking about people's feet and the shoes they are wearing. As Ricky's
unforgiving ordeal continues, a different drama is taking place above
the ground as his mother searches for her son together with her friend
Carmen (Marsha Stephanie Blake), a saleswoman in the shoe store that
Ricky frequents. They roam the beaches of Far Rockaway, post flyers
with Ricky's picture on it, and talk to the police, but without
expectations. As Ricky begins to visibly show the stress of his
journey, the distinction between shadow and substance becomes murky and
it is unclear what is reality and what is hallucination The threat of
Hurricane Sandy adds a new dimension and a new desperation to the
search and as the storm approaches and Ricky's father returns to join
in the search, the film builds an unbearable tension that holds us
tightly in its grip. Stand Clear of the Closing Doors cares about its
characters and their story is presented without an iota of
sentimentality or pandering. It does not attempt to teach us any
lessons or strain for our sympathy. It leaves us shaken because we know
that we have encountered the truth and while that is often a disturbing
experience, it can also be an exhilarating one.
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