When a random couple asks him to take a photo in the park, a doe-eyed newcomer finds out what it means to be a New Yorker. Adam Kelleher directs “New York Movie,” a comic portrait of a blissfully oblivious Brit as he’s brutally broken by the Big Apple. Willy buys himself a hot dog before taking a stroll into Tompkins Square Park. A couple on a bench asks him to take a picture of them and he snaps several options, exchanges a smile, and leaves. But when he plops down on a bench from afar, he notices the couple asking someone else for the same thing. Why would they do that? How could they? What is this place? The thoughts leak into Willy’s brain. He doesn’t get it, nor does his mum when he explains over the phone. Days pass, and the man frantically searches for self-worth, approaching strangers to take their photo. Assimilating into the city stays an enigma, hope seems lost, but then Willy’s roommate makes it clear. Kelleher captures it all on 16mm film, and Will Duncan, in the hilariously imperfect portrayal of a Brit, continues his streak as an exciting lead and wildly committed character actor. -JM. Director/Writer/Editor: Adam Kelleher. Cast: Will Duncan as Willy, Demarcko Fleming as New York, ‘Alaska’ Zach Miller as Ukrainian Roommate, Johnny Frohman and Mariah Oxley as The Couple, Paula McGLinchey as Willy’s Mother, Anita Ikharo, Lea Särnblad and Toni Smith as the Matcha Girls, and Cam Lipp as Innocent Bystander. Producer and 1st AD Chet Oshima. Director of Photography: David Williams. 1st AC: Vadim Gorbaty. 2nd AD: Anita Ikharo. Music: Chasen Smith. Animation: Stuart Hill. Photographer: Kidspyral.
Up Next in From the Archives
-
Teen Daze
In the summer before leaving home, Cece is eager to get her first time over with. “TEEN DAZE,” directed by Brigette Lopez, is a coming-of-age drama, which digs into the psyche and behavior of a self-assured teenage girl living with her single father. She spends her days lounging in the pool and p...
-
Townsend’s Last Night
Across a freezing night, confused dropout Cooper Townsend tries to make it home. “Townsend’s Last Night,” directed by Rhys Scarabosio, is a chaotic, lo-fi fever dream about a young man who has lost his way. Left desperately clinging to his only refuge — scribbling lyrics in an old notebook — the ...
-
Sacral
When Silvia mysteriously goes missing in Chinatown, tension rises between the two people closest to her. Jacqueline Sir directs “Sacral,” a fragmentary drama about the messy relationships and social life of a group of young NY city kids. Told with blurred low-fi imagery and a constant sense of un...
1 Comment