Plot
On the mean streets of Manhattan, Ewa falls prey to Bruno, a charming but wicked man who takes her in and forces her into prostitution.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 6.6/10 (3,340 voted)
Critic's Score: 63/100
Director: James Gray
Stars: Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Renner
Storyline
1921. In search of a new start and the American dream, Ewa Cybulska and her sister Magda sail to New York from their native Poland. When they reach Ellis Island, doctors discover that Magda is ill, and the two women are separated. Ewa is released onto the mean streets of Manhattan while her sister is quarantined. Alone, with nowhere to turn and desperate to reunite with Magda, she quickly falls prey to Bruno, a charming but wicked man who takes her in and forces her into prostitution. And then one day, Ewa encounters Bruno's cousin, the debonair magician Orlando. He sweeps Ewa off her feet and quickly becomes her only chance to escape the nightmare in which she finds herself.
Writers: James Gray, Ric Menello
Cast: Marion Cotillard -
Ewa Cybulska
Joaquin Phoenix -
Bruno Weiss
Jeremy Renner -
Orlando the Magician /
Emil
Dagmara Dominczyk -
Belva
Jicky Schnee -
Clara
Maja Wampuszyc -
Edyta Bistricky
Ilia Volok -
Wojtek Bistricky
Angela Sarafyan -
Magda Cybulski
Antoni Corone -
Thomas MacNally
Patrick Husted -
Priest
Patrick Holden O'Neill -
Leo Straub
(as Patrick O'Neill)
Sam Tsoutsouvas -
Oskar Straub
Robert Clohessy -
Immigration Official
Adam Rothenberg -
Officer DeKeiffer
Matthew Humphreys -
Cop #1
Filming Locations: Kaufman Astoria Studios - 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $16,500,000
(estimated)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Fourth film collaboration between director James Gray and actor Joaquin Phoenix. See more »
Goofs:
Enrico Caruso would have been too ill to have performed in February 1921. After several years of poor health. His last performance was in late December 1920, after which his health deteriorated further and he underwent several surgeries. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 8/10
What a beautiful story it was, a sad story of that girl Ewa, full of
hope arriving in a strange country with the believe that she and her
sister will be welcomed by their family! And the desperation and fear
when bit by bit her hope and faith gets challenged by the bitterness of
"the American dream", the bitterness of being immigrants without money
or relatives, connections... Marion is amazing, she acts with her eyes,
her face tells it all, she actually doesn't need words... She makes Ewa
a very fragile looking "girl" but with an amazing survival-instinct ..
Joacquin was charming, frightening, sad, and at the end pitiful..a very
dark character, despicable and yet tragic... When Jeremy comes into the
story, his character adds a lot of tension with great interaction with
Joacquin and Marion; repressed emotions, boyish charm , impulsiveness
combined with darkness. He was really really excellent, I loved his
performance.. Gray did an awesome job by building up the story the way
he did, with very beautiful images, images in those amazing soft yellow
ocher colors , that show us a world of those who are "damned " with
very rare beacons of light... The end scene, that ending shot , was so
amazing, so beautiful ! And I loved the soundtrack.
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