A, B, C... Manhattan

In a poor and decadent area of Manhattan, the musician Kate (Sara Paul) visits a room in a shared apartment with the aspirant photographer Colleen (Lucy Knight) and the needy teenager Kacey (Erin Norris), decided to start living an independent normal life of her own. The alcoholic Colleen has made a decision and will leave her beloved daughter Stella (Maisy Hughes) later with a family since she can not afford to support the child. The bisexual Kacey is distributing fliers trying to find her dog TJ that was stolen by her ex-boyfriend Johnny while missing her girlfriend that dumped her to get married. Kate has just broken an incestuous relationship with her brother Stevie (Nikolai Voloshuk), but he can not accept the separation.

"A, B, C... Manhattan" is a surprisingly good little independent movie that tells "three of eight million stories" in Manhattan. The three dramatic stories in a day of decision in the ordinary lives of three losers are very unpleasant and sad, but the acting of the unknown Lucy Knight, Erin Norris, Sara Paul and the girl Maisy Hughes are top notch and full of feelings and emotions. The direction is also excellent and I liked the camera movements that give a great sensation of credibility to the film. This DVD was released in Brazil on February 15th 2006, i.e., nine years after the released date of the movie, and surprisingly I note and regret that Lucy Knight and Sara Paul have worked in two other movies only, and Erin Norris and the promising girl Maisy Hughes have not worked in the cinema anymore. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Mulheres de Manhattan" ("Women from Manhattan")

I first saw this on TV and was impressed by the end more than the rest of the film. The end struck me as vivid yet poignant and has stuck in my mind ever since. Yes, there are other memorable moments including a scene that may offend those with genteel manners, but most of the time I was not fully engaged in the three stories presented because each had a world-weariness that was monotone and painfully drab. I guess the director was making some kind of anti-glamorous statement about the reality of lowlife NYers in a twisted Altmanesque kind of way yet this is no Short Cuts. The characters seem too self-involved to express any transparency to the viewer and without empathy the film is totally at sea, drowning in its endless replication of lost women in a city that does not understand them; a city whose streets envelop them in isolation before releasing their barren souls to self-pity and doubt.

Three NYC stories at a climax. Stories about breaking up, losing, leaving, giving away... the things or people you love, you live with, you depend on, which formed your past... The stories are about how difficult this is, how terrifying and how frightening. Yet, you HAVE to do what you have to do. The three girls are met at the turning point of their lives.

The film is wonderful written, with few words and a great, exciting pace (though it takes its time and lot of it). Stop: there may be a lot of words, sometimes, but what's important is between-the-lines. The performances are marvellous. I've rarely seen better ones EVER.

Style and location (all shot "on location") remind me of this specific independent NYC style of Jarmusch, Poe, Seidelman, Silver, the style that made me love movies again, while Hollywood screws it up.

Forget those other NEW YORK STORIES (1989). They do not matter anything. Just selling out big names to make money.