This indie film is a really powerful look at how a community can suffocate you and the hidden corners young people have to find just to be themselves in so many European towns, even with all the progress we've seen lately. The whole story plays out while the town is bracing for a massive, raging flood, and you just can't shake the feeling that some kind of intense reckoning or unavoidable doom is headed their way. To be honest, I didn't go in with super high expectations, but the way it’s put together makes it a seriously compelling watch. Plus, it’s not every day you get to see an LGBT-themed movie coming out of Croatia! The story follows Marko, a popular 18-year-old kid who seems to have it all—he’s got a girlfriend, he’s a competitive arm wrestler, and he’s well-liked at school. When he isn't in class, he’s usually hanging out with his brother, who has a disability, or helping his mom out in her greenhouse. Everything gets flipped upside down when a guy named Slaven ...
The film features Sherry Vine as a shrink and we are introduced to 5 of her patients who are new to New York and how they are coming to terms with this vibrant city. We first meet Cassie, who is a little neurotic, 'high on life' and finds weird when strange homeless people talk to her. She starts hallucinating about making it big in life like Oprah ( quite a funny dialogue interaction here). We also meet her room mate, good looking Scotty and a trick that he has at home. Second is Mick, a drag queen who works hard to keep up with city life. Mick is propositioned by a good looking dude at a club, they sleep together and the night ends with the guy paying Mick money for her 'services'. Next is Ryan, who is dealing with all the breakups that he has with girls and who can't figure out why the girls act, the way they do. We then meet Simone, who gets hit on by a creepy deli sandwich maker. She is freaked out and sad on why she is never hit on by a decent man. She still hopes she will one day meet a nice guy her age and she meets Ryan. And finally we have Jake who just has the most memorable day with a guy who he thinks could be love of his life but he just can't remember the dude's name. We see the confusion that goes in his head and how he copes up with it.
The 5 characters are very different from each other, in terms of people involved, stories told and the issues they face but they are in a way linked. They do share a theme of finding love in the big bad city of New York. And by the time the film ends we also get to see the 5 characters inter-related to each other, which I thought was a brilliant idea. Jake's story in my opinion was the best and most hilarious and acted pretty well too. Lockhart playing Jake has done a good job. Mick, the drag queens story, although done in a light tone is very touching and heart-felt. It is unfortunate reality that how some people can treat others just as a piece of meat when everyone deserves love and respect. Ryan's and Simone's story were average. I must say though that Ryan is really a very very good looking and hot dude specially in his stubble. Cassie's story is the weakest among the five but somehow fits well within the overall setup. The director, who is the captain of the ship, has done good job extracting good to excellent performances from all the actors which is not easy job, given it is quite a multi-starrer. Sherry Vine is hilarious and you can't help but salute and laugh at her expressions and one-liners. The film is not without its share of some minuses. I would have liked to see a little more of what happens to Ryan and Simone. A good story build up can be done there. The end of the film was also a little unsatisfactory. I am not sure what would have been a better ending but somehow it did not feel the right punch to end such beautiful narrative. A little more attention on the shrink's character could have also taken the film to another level.
Given a lot of the pluses and barely a couple improvements, this film deserves to be seen and applauded. Welcome to New York (8/10)
Comments
www.stoc.biz