Screens Sunday, October 23, 5:30 pm
Adrift in Manhattan
USA / 2007 / 89 min
Director: Alfredo de Villa
Producers: Joshua Blum, Steven J. Brown
Screenwriter: Nat Moss; Story by: Alfredo de Villa
Executive Producers: J.A. Bremont, Ben Coen, Todd Courtney, J. Michael Harris, Amy Hobby, Jijo Reed, Chris Romano, Dave Scoggin, Bobby Yoshizumi
Cinematographer: John Foster
Editor: John Coniglio
Production Designer: Charlotte Bourke
Sound Design: David Streefkerk
Original Music: Michael A. Levine
Rose, an optometrist paralyzed by crushing grief after the death of her infant, has built a wall around herself, unable to relate to her estranged husband or anyone else. When an elderly patient, a painter losing his eyesight, begins to visit her office unannounced, Rose registers how alone he is, urging him to reach out and ask for help--something neither does easily. Meanwhile, Simon, a teenager living under the thumb of his overbearing mother, has taken to interacting with the world at a safe distance – through the long lens of his camera. One day, Rose, comes into focus in his camera sight. The pictures he shoots become a medium for each of them to touch something deep within and expand their confined existence. Though living in the heart of the big city, all three characters are isolated; separated not by physical distance, but by their own grief, anger or fears. Adrift in Manhattan shows us that human transformation is not only a constant, surprising possibility, but also an absolute necessity.
Rose es una optómetra incapaz de relacionarse con su marido enajenado o cualquier otra persona después de la muerte de su hijo recién nacido. Un pintor ciego ya mayor, comienza a ir a su consultorio sin cita previa, Rose percibe su soledad y le insiste en pedir ayuda, algo que ambos no saben hacer. Mientras tanto, Simon, un adolescente sometido por una madre arrogante, interactúa con el mundo protegido por la lente de su cámara fotográfica. Un día, Rose se cruza frente a su lente. Las fotos que él toma de ella se convierten en el medio para que cada uno logre penetrar en lo profundo de su limitada existencia, expandiéndola. A pesar de vivir en el corazón de una gran ciudad, los tres personajes están aislados del resto del mundo; no tanto por la distancia física, sino por sus propias penas, cóleras o miedos. Adrift in Manhattan nos demuestra que la transformación humana no es solamente una constante y sorprende posibilidad, sino además una absoluta necesidad.
Cast: William Baldwin, Adrianna Bremont, Dominic Chianese, Marlene Forte, Heather Graham, Victor Rasuk, Erika Michels, Elizabeth Peña
Awards: Grand Prize, Indianapolis International Film Festival 2007; Best Ensemble Acting, Palm Beach International Film Festival 2007; Dramatic Competition, Sundance Film Festival, 2007
Film Language: English
Film Year: 2007
Run Time: 89’