Le New Yorker

Forgotten little film has an alternate 80's-early 90's feel with washed out visuals and characters full of vague unrealized yearnings. Reminded me of "All the Vermeers in New York."

Alfred comes to New York to move in with a woman he met casually in Paris. "I came to infiltrate the American middle-class." She of course can hardly remember who he is. He tries to win her through various strategems un-deterred and unfazed by immigration problems, theft, homelessness etc. until he runs into some mobsters that put him in charge of a mansion in Long Island and a savage rotweiler. The cinematography of New York in winter is superb, but the acting strictly amateur.

Not great, but unexpectedly appealing none the less if you give it a chance.

Now on DVD.

This film is far from perfect. Several key parts were miscast, most notably that of Long Island toughie Farrakhan. Some of the acting walks that fine line between uncomfortable realism and awkward amateurism that is so often present in independent film.

Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by this, Benoit Graffin's first feature-length effort. The main character, Alfred, is interesting in his naive simplicity, an offbeat anti-hero who inspires just the right amount of sympathy and frustration in the audience to keep them involved in the story.

"Le New-Yorker" comes off as a refreshing mix of American indie sensibilities and French low-to-mid budget know-how. Not a movie for everyone, but it easily held the interest of this viewer.