Urbania (2000)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Jon Matthews

Writers:

Daniel Reitz (play)
Daniel Reitz (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 August 2001 (Israel)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Hear any good stories lately?

Plot:

Charlie takes an odyssey through grief during a fall weekend in New York City. His encounters are planned...

Plot Keywords:

Violence | One Night Stand | Hate Crime | Homosexual | Gay

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Dan Futterman	...	Charlie
Samuel Ball	...	Dean
Lothaire Bluteau	...	Bill
Alan Cumming	...	Brett
Josh Hamilton	...	Matt
Matt Keeslar	...	Chris
James Simon	...	Sam
Megan Dodds	...	Deedee
Gabriel Olds	...	Ron
Barbara Sukowa	...	Clara - The Married Woman
Gerry Bamman	...	Don
Scott Denny	...	Ken
Pamela Shaw	...	Judy - The Photo Lady
David Wheir	...	Gary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christopher Bradley	...	Efraim - The Window Couple
Cheryl Brubaker	...	Pam (as Cheryl Brubacker)
Marylouise Burke	...	Yvette - The Poodle Lady
David T. Catapano	...	Frat Guy
Rich Clayton	...	Cashier
Joe Danisi	...	Vin - One Night Stands
Paul Dawson	...	The Bloodied Man
Sanjiv Jhaveri	...	Cassandra's Helper
Brian Keane	...	Neil, The Window Couple
Bill Sage	...	Chuck
Paige Turco	...	Cassandra
Melinda Wade	...	Nadine - One Night Stands

Also Known As:

Urban Folk Tales (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violent and sexual content, including related dialogue, and for language and some drug use.

Runtime:

103 min | Argentina:106 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18 | Singapore:(Banned) | Argentina:16 | USA:R | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Commotion Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: When Matt is describing his encounter with Clara, she eats the cherry the moment he gives her the drink, but in subsequent shots, the cherry is still floating on the surface of the drink.

Quotes:

Charlie: Distract me, man. Take me out of my own head for two minutes.

Movie Connections:

References Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

Excellent

Charlie (Dan Futterman) wanders around NYC one night looking for another man who (might) have something he is looking for.

That's all I'm going to say about this--you have to see the film to understand it. The film starts off slow (and surreal) but quickly draws you in with fast, incredible images and a plot that becomes clearer as the movie goes on. Dan Futterman is just superb in his role...this had to have been a difficult part to play but he pulls it off. Actually no one is bad but Matt Keeslar (as his lover Chris) and Samuel Bell (as Dean) deserve special mention.

This film is not for everybody. It challenges you and makes you think (how many films nowadays do that?) and is very dark, disturbing and depressing. It also demands multiple viewings (I had to see it twice to actually understand it). Also there is some violence that is jarring. But, at the end, I was in tears--I've seen this movie at least seven times and I STILL cry at the ending. It's actually a happy ending (sort of) but really hits hard.

Basically this film deals with love, loss and coming to terms with it. Also there are urban legends played out during the film--they DO fit in. It deals with gay relationships primarily and there's plenty of kissing and flashes of nudity. Easily one of the best films of 2000 and it's in my list as one of the ten top films ever made. Just great--I highly recommend this.

Try to see it on DVD--the commentary and extras really explain the story and themes more.