New York Waiting

I saw a screening of New York Waiting at the Tribeca Film Festival, and I was completely captivated by the film. Director Joachim Hedén tells a romantic love story absent of cliché plot turns typically found in American films. His characters are charming, his story poetic, and as an audience we're given the opportunity to respond emotionally to his film without being manipulated into a prescribed reaction. He uses the camera with conscious restraint and places a strong emphasis on dialogue, reminiscent of Richard Linklater's Before Sunset. Hedén's choice of music adds a wonderful texture to the film, and I hope that New York Waiting is picked up by a distributor and shown to larger audiences. Many people should see this lovely film. Bravo and well done.

This movie is nice. I'll still save stronger words for other occasions.

I saw this movie at the Malmö Festival in Malmö Sweden. I was sitting at home, and I was getting bored, and had a look at what was happening - and I saw this film on the program. It was free, and I didn't have anything to lose (except I got wet from the South Swedish rain on my way there).

First, a positive surprise was that Joachim Hedén himself was there, and he introduced the movie with very few words, maybe he thought there were more like me - who didn't really know what they were about to see, and he wanted to keep the virginal feeling.

I was positively surprised: The movie had a simple story that was beautifully told, without Hollywood clichés, with sometimes surprising lines - "you don't say that in American romantic movies".

Some times I feel like familiar faces on the screen subtracts from the movie. The character is brand new to you - so why shouldn't the faces be? Personally I enjoy watching movies with actors I have seen nowhere before, and these have a very short track record. Any insufficiencies they may have in terms of inexperience is made up with this, IMO.

What strikes me the most about this movie though, is its very close resemblance to "Before Sunrise" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112471/) with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy: Boy meets girl for one single day. However, the basic setting for the movie is different, and it does take some different turns, maybe a little bit more complex story. But the scenes, the mood and the style of the movie are extremely similar. Nevertheless, if you like "Before Sunrise" you'll like this one.

The cast was well-composed, consisting of talented new faces, the acting bravely filmed at close range, especially considering the (I'm sure) extremely restricted time allocated to make this film for $500,000. Some pans, cuts and single camera shots didn't work out, but the all-out intimacy of the close-ups paid off, and the acting made the movie.

And yes although the picture does have a scenario similar to Richard Linklaters, New York Waiting is not as glib. Paradoxically by providing the viewer with little biographical background on the characters Sidney, Amy and Coreen, their longing and sometimes misdirected need came sharper into focus than "Before Sunrise", and was in its nakedness more akin to Michael Schaeffer's "Fall" (1997).

Finally, an accolade for the original choices made in the soundtrack, which smoothly meshed with the film.

Take dialog twice as pathetic and predictable as real-life conversations. Add a plot vaguely reminiscent of, but infinitely less inspired than "Before Sunrise"/"After Sunset". Pimp colors and yank contrast for that coveted karaoke video clip look. Throw in random flashbacks, rendered in black and white lest we miss the fact they are flashbacks. Carefully scrap the screenplay of motivation until even the director can't seem to remember why Amy (Annie Woods) stays with her cheating schmuck of a boyfriend, and why Sid (Chris Stewart) cannot forget his lifeless spoilsport of an ex. What you get is "New York Waiting", easily this season's least inspired romantic comedy. And yes, I have seen them all. I believe this one went straight to DVD. Rightly so. It's the kind of movie that sounds like a great idea over the seventh beer and usually doesn't get made. For a reason. Spare no expense to avoid.

This romantic film, tells the stories of a 20-something man & woman. First, Sydney, who is waiting for his free spirited ex-girlfiend to meet him and he hopes, rekindle the flame which he still pines for. Second, Amy, who has broken up from her loveless, self obsessed boyfriend. Thirdly, the story of Amy and Sydney when the pair meet by chance and agree to spend the day together in each other's company enjoying NY in the Summer.

The camera focuses on the dialogue between Amy and Sydney. There is judicious use of inter-dialogue landscape shots and a folksy musical score. The conservations are not as intellectually stimulating or abstract as in Linklater's "Before Sunrise" nevertheless, the feelings of loss, love & hope don't just simmer under the surface, they burst out towards the end.