An indie drama standout at the last edition of the Tribeca Film Festival (I would subsequently catch the film at Karlovy Vary – see footage below) with critical cred and the Special Jury Prize in the Narrative Feature Section to boot, Stand Clear Of the Closing Doors has found its way home via the Oscilloscope Laboratories folks. Filmed during with a portion of Superstorm Sandy in the backdrop, Sam Fleischner’s sophomore film received an extended invite to be part of the first edition of NEXT Weekend in Los Angeles (celebrating mostly Sundance films from the NEXT section) will, according to Deadline, receive a theatrical release in 2014. Expect further U.S. indie fest and international play beforehand.
Gist: Based on a script by Rose Lichter-Mark and Micah Bloomberg, when a young autistic boy runs away from his Mexican-immigrant family on the fringes of New York City, he embarks on an odyssey that forces his splintered family to reconcile their differences.
Worth Noting: According to the filmmaker, Jesus Sanchez-Velez, who has a less severe form of Asperger’s Syndrome, landed the part over dozens of professional actors who tried out for the role.
Do We Care?: Ramin Bahrani-esque in nature (soaked in realism, with the utilization of the handheld aesthetic and the overwhelming sense that the odds are stacked against its protagonists) while this is a little rough around the edges, it nonetheless remains a fascinating journey into a world of neglect, abandonment and a commentary about our isolated society at large.
