New York Waiting

I just saw this at the Tribeca Film Festival. It was awful. I will elaborate but it was just awful in every way. The characters were shallow to the extreme. Found out nothing about them and could care less. It was interesting in the style of Bergman, ie. people talking little and lots of relationship stuff in Bergman style. Also interesting in that it tried to be the antiBergman-no despair, suicide, angst but love conquers all. (All this about Bergman because it is a Swedish film) The filmmaker was there for q and a and everybody was polite and did not criticize the movie but it was so sophomoric-could have been made by a high school film student except that high school relationships are more interesting. New York in the title but nothing about it was unique to New York. Polaroid camera cant take pics out of cars and you cannot get film for old, or new, Polaroid cameras any more. Sent an e-mail that was printed out but not read? The main character has a retarded emotional IQ.

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.

I saw this film at the Tribecca Film Festival. It was a great movie. None of the typical Hollywood clichés, or endings. It was thoughtful and beautifully shot. The flashback scenes in black and white were perfect. The soundtrack was phenomenal and i hope it get released as well. The acting was superb. The three leads were amazing. I especially liked the acting of Katrina Nelson! She is someone to watch out for. The director really loves NYC. The shots he used to portray the city were perfectly placed in the film. Even though the director is not from NYC, it really appears that he loves the city. I am a huge fan of movies that don't follow the typical Hollywood pattern, and this one did not follow the typical Hollywood pattern. I can't wait to see more from Hedem and the cast.

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.