Kick off Labor Day weekend with a pair of 'Little' movies at the Esquire Theatre. Both films open Friday.
LITTLE MEN — Veteran director/writer Ira Sachs’ latest cinematic character study centers on a pair of 13-year-old boys in New York City, each struggling to make his way through a transition in life. Jake (Theo Taplitz) is the sensitive son of Brian (Greg Kinnear), a struggling actor, and Kathy (Jennifer Ehle), a successful psychotherapist. The narrative opens as Jake and his parents move from Manhattan to his recently deceased grandfather’s second-floor Brooklyn apartment building. The building is also the longtime home to a modest dress shop run by Leonor (Paulina Garcia), a native of Chile whose charismatic son, Tony (Michael Barbieri), befriends the awkward but talented Jake. Each boy dreams of attending the arts-nurturing LaGuardia High School. J Sachs’ latest screenplay collaboration with Mauricio Zacharias — the pair previously teamed up for Sachs’ Keep the Lights On and Love Is Strange — is again concerned with the impact of seemingly small events. In this case, Little Men’s dramatic tension hinges on a conflict between the boys’ parents. Less overt is the subtext between Jake, whose sexuality is ambiguous, and Tony, who seems oblivious to — or doesn’t seem to care about — his new best friend’s leanings. As ever, Sachs presents his characters’ dilemmas with nuance and care, resulting in a movie with penetrating emotional resonance. – (Opens Friday at Esquire Theatre) – Jason Gargano (PG) Grade: B+
OUR LITTLE SISTER – Director Hirokazu Koreeda (Like Father, Like Son), in this adaptation of Akimi Yoshida’s manga comic, spotlights the story of a trio of sisters — Sachi (Haruka Ayase), Yoshino (Masami Nagasawa) and Chika (Kaho) — living in the home they inherited from their maternal grandmother and who attend the funeral of their father and decide to take in their 13-year-old half-sister Asano (Suzu Hirose) shortly after meeting her. What makes Our Little Sister such a fascinating and heartwarming portrait of family is exactly how little conflict or drama emerges once the choice is made. The three older sisters adjust their lives accordingly and smoothly integrate Asano into their world. Koreeda simply sits back and allows us to watch it all unfold. The drama here is in the appreciation of honor and a different, unconditional kind of love. (Opens Friday at Esquire Theatre) – tt stern-enzi (PG) Grade: A-
