France / England / Germany,
1995, 96 min
Shown in 1996
CREDITS
- dir
-
Goran Paskaljevic
- prod
-
Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, David Rose, Helga Bähr
- scr
-
Gordon Mihic
- cam
-
Yorgos Arvanitis
- editor
-
William Diver
- cast
-
Tom Conti, Miki Manojlovic, Maria Casarès, Zorka Manojlovic, Sergej Trifunovic
-
COMMENTS
Goran Paskaljevic in person.
“Simple tales that tell of the everyday life of ordinary people have always been at the heart of my films,” says Goran Paskaljevic, whose Tango Argentino won the coveted Audience Award at the 1993 Festival. Someone Else’s America—a poignant love letter to the American melting pot—is no exception. This delightfully quirky character comedy, simple and tender, draws on situations that arise from the clash between memories of the Old World and dreams of the New. It traces the lives of two hapless immigrants living in a bustling corner of New York, searching for the land of milk and honey. The doggedly determined Bayo (Miki Manojlovic) is a Montenegran illegal employed as a casual laborer and janitor at a dingy Brooklyn bar, and the bar owner, Alonso (Tom Conti), is a hopelessly romantic Spaniard who lives with his blind mother (Maria Casarés). The camera follows this odd couple as they struggle to help their families and adapt to the underbelly of the American Dream, often triumphing through funny and compelling ideas that lend a special glowing flavor that is a joy to behold. Scottish-born Conti evokes the same lothario charm he showed in Shirley Valentine, and the ensemble cast gives fine performances.
FACTOID #56
A group of renegade filmmakers who dubbed themselves Grand Central Station staged a publicity stunt on the Opening Night of the 13 th San Francisco International Film Festival by bombarding the steps of the Masonic Auditorium with 300 cream pies. Lemon meringue, anyone?
