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I saw this at the Palm Springs Film Festival and was blown away! As soon as the movie began, I could tell it was a movie that I should pay attention.

The plot is a performance of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar by a group of real-life prisoners in an Italian prison. I loved how the prisoners could relate to the play by seeing the parallels in their own lives--the power lust, deceit and betrayal. The more the prisoners understood the play, the more they became immersed in their roles.

There have been many attempts to make Shakespeare palatable to the modern audience. This was my favorite iteration because it showed the actors trying to understand it, just as an audience might try to find the relevance. As a high school student, I found Shakespeare and Roman History boring. It wasn't until I hit my 40s did I realize this history was more violent than the Sopranos.

I don't know if this movie has ever been widely released. I highly recommend seeing it if it ever comes to your town.

This is my first review on IMDb and I felt compelled to write this because I was so disappointed. The movie had very good reviews and was sold out when it played at the San Francisco International Film Festival last month. I was ecstatic to discover that the movie would open in wide distribution this month. I was particularly drawn to the black and white movie poster of Greta Gerwig dancing in Central Park. This evoked a memory of the French New Wave cinema, of which I am a fan.

Unfortunately, as I sat in the theater, the movie played out as a rehash of the HBO series Girls. Mid-20s fine arts graduate trying to figure out her life while broke in Brooklyn-check. Best friend and intellectual soul mate who sells out her values to marry a rich guy-check. Adam Driver appearance-check.

I am too old to know if this movie really represents today's younger generation. I do know that the movie didn't have much in the way of story. It was more of a girl aimlessly living for a fantasy but without the dedication to make her dreams come true, just like Girls.

The last time I saw a movie about a dancer living in Brooklyn, it was called Saturday Night Fever. At least then, the music was catchy, the dancing compelling and the protagonist made a decision to change his life and commit to pursuing his dream.

I know there are only so many story plots you can use in a movie (don't get me started on the numerous amount of struggling singers/bands that become famous or black pilots/football players/swimmers, etc that overcome prejudice movies), but this movie coming so quickly on the heels of the recent accolade Girls has received, made it feel just too familiar for this reviewer.