Focus (2001/I)

Director:

Neal Slavin

Writers:

Arthur Miller (novel)
Kendrew Lascelles (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 May 2002 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Everything Is About To Become Very Clear

Plot:

In the waning months of World War II, a man and his wife are mistakenly identified as Jews by their anti-Semitic Brooklyn neighbors...

Plot Keywords:

Jew | Eyeglasses | Racism | Typist | Kiosk

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

William H. Macy	...	Lawrence 'Larry' Newman
Laura Dern	...	Gertrude 'Gert' Hart
David Paymer	...	Mr. Finkelstein
Meat Loaf	...	Fred (as Meat Loaf Aday)
Kay Hawtrey	...	Mrs. Newman
Michael Copeman	...	Carlson
Kenneth Welsh	...	Father Crighton
Joseph Ziegler	...	Mr. Gargan
Arlene Meadows	...	Mrs. Dewitt
Peter Oldring	...	Willy Doyle
Robert McCarrol	...	Meeting Hall Man (as Robert Mccarrol)
Shaun Austin-Olsen	...	Sullivan
Kevin Jubinville	...	Mr. Cole Stevens
B.J. McQueen	...	Mel
Conrad Bergschneider	...	Tough's Leader

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, violence and some sexual content.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-11 | Argentina:13 | Canada:PG | Norway:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38298)

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Carros Pictures

Trivia:

Neal Slavin claimed to have wanted to make this film since college.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: About halfway through the movie, Larry and Gert are in an automobile. There is a vinyl "Sport Grip Steering Wheel Cover" laced around the steering wheel of the car. It is noticeable due to its distinctive pattern of perforations and cushioning. This item was not in existence in 1944, the year the movie is set in.

Quotes:

Lawrence 'Larry' Newman: Really, Gertrude, I never stop thinking about you. It's like I've been thinking about you for years. That's why you struck me so the first time I saw you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Shanghai Kiss (2007)

Soundtrack:

'Taint What You Do (It's the Way That Cha DoIt)

Compelling and disturbing

This movie packs a punch. There are a few every now and then that make me think deeply, and disturb me a lot. I could see myself in this same predicament - passively allowing things to happen around me, not standing up for the right and decent thing, just trying to avoid trouble. How often do we avoid making waves or sticking our necks out? How often does our inaction condone the evil actions of others. We would never join them, we tell ourselves, we recognize that what they are doing is bad, but do we do anything about it?

Lawrence Newman (William H. Macey) is a low-key, nerdy office worker who has paid off his home in Brooklyn, NY in the waning days of World War II. He rarely gets engaged in what is going on around him, has never married, rarely socializes, just goes to work and cares for his invalid mother. Then a series of events in his very "white" little neighborhood pull him out of his complacent shell into a maelstrom of events. It starts as he witness from his bedroom window the rape of a Puerto Rican girl by the son of his neighbor. Soon after he gets glasses because of poor vision. As he is now better able to see, he becomes less able to deal with the circumstances of his life. The one bright spot is a new love in his life, and he marries, hoping to continue on in his normalcy. Then the virulent anti-semitism on that street catches him, despite his credentials as a Presbyterian WASP. As things spiral further out of control, he discovers he must make an important decision - does he take a stand or does he simply go away.

I cannot how anybody can view this movie without being affected and having to think very much about themselves and what they really stand for. Post war anti-semitism is the setting here, but there is injustice at all times and in all places. It is for the individual to decide where he or she stands.