Little Men (2016) 'Mashup' Review: Lost Innocence, Artistic Wisdom, and the Quiet Ways Life Goes On

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Little Men (2016): Of Lost Innocence Amidst Mature Folks

Review by Pranav Birajdar

Ira Sachs has a knack for telling extremely personal and immensely moving New York stories about an average, everyday guy. This film is no exception either, a complex family drama shrouded by a heart-warmingly delicate coming-of-age story about two polar opposite yet eminently ambitious teenagers. Little Men delves into the psyche of two families dealing with the ever-evolving dilemma of gentrification in the New York suburbs.

Roller skating and kick scootering between their respective Brooklyn brownstones, Jake (the introvert artist) and Tony (the extrovert actor) develop a friendship unlike any other. Video games, sleepovers, acting classes, crushing over girls, and aspiring to get into a reputed art school are what their day comprises. Though their physical world is limited to these suburbs, their desires, just like their friendship, are boundless.

On the flipside, there is a practical, real-world of economics, expenses, tenants, rents, contracts, and bills. Tony’s mother and Jake’s parents are stuck with an unpleasant situation of literally fighting it out for their livelihood. What starts as an amicable situation that both parties are trying to salvage soon turns into an ugly spat about one’s wishes and the practicality of actually making it happen.

There are no sides to be taken. There is no winner or loser. There is just this empty abyss, a horrid human moment that no one can prevent, nor avoid. It is the harsh, disgusting truth about living in a modern-day New York. One day, you’re living your dream, hanging out with your best friend, living amongst happy and respectful neighbors, and the very next day, it all bites the dust, those friendships, those relationships, those special people, all gone. What remains is a desperate attempt to salvage, cherish, and celebrate those special moments and those exceptional relationships.

Little Men has a lot going for it; a tightly written script complemented by a personal layer of Ira’s intimate directing style, a rousing background score that is synonymous to the budding friendship between the lead protagonists, effortless yet simplistic beauty of timeless Brooklyn captured by Óscar Durán and brilliant performances from the cast, especially the lead ‘little men’ who defy their age and give one of the standout performances of this year. Aptly titled the ‘Little Men’, this films captured beautifully captures that precise moment in a teenager’s life when childhood innocence is superseded by grown-up pragmatism.

Little Men (2016): Kids With Artistic Wisdom

Review by Amritt Rukhaiyaar

Ira Sachs’ Little Men is about a bunch of decent people who end up in the middle of an indecent financial conflict. Brian Jardines and his family from Manhattan move to his Childhood home in Brooklyn after the death of Brian’s father, Max. Now this is a beautiful property with a storefront, the store is being rented by a Chilean woman, Leonor, whom Max was really fond of, but now that Brian has taken over, and who, obviously, has bills to pay, he wants to revise the rent, as she was paying a rather low rent to Max until now.

Brian’s son Jake instantly finds a friend in Tony, Leonor’s son. The two become pals irrespective of the conflict between their parents. Both Jake and Tony are aspiring artists and possess the soul and wisdom of true artists. Their indifferent behavior to the whole situation represents the entire worldview of an artist, how they don’t care for the little material conflicts in life, and how friendships, relationships, and all other kinds of human connection means a great deal to them.

Jake is a talented painter. We don’t see anything he painted, but we trust what is being established as we trust the people claiming it. Tony wants to become an actor and thinks he should ask for tips from Brian. These kids are different from each other; Jake is an introvert, which Tony complements with his outgoing nature. It’s a big deal for Jake to make a friend in life, and so he is really protective of Tony.

There is a strange kind of tranquility and respect the two kids share, the kind of peace and respect only artists could share. Tony is also some kind of role model for Jake, like a big brother who isn’t really older. There is a scene in which Tony tells Jake that he is not talking to his mother anymore because the whole matter of possession of the shop is affecting Tony’s friendship with Jake.

This influences Jake, and he does the same to his father, until a point where Brian had to lose his cool and call the kids selfish for never thinking about anyone else but themselves. Brian says that kids never realize that their parents are also humans, who make mistakes. It’s a kind of Drama where there are no obvious good/bad people, just circumstances making people go against their true nature.

Little Men is a film about the relationship between parents and their adolescent child. It is also about a wise kind of friendship shared by two artistic souls. It’s a film about Brooklyn, the place where people from everywhere live together and exchange their cultures, where a native is almost as vulnerable as an immigrant, but like I said before, it’s a film about decent people, people who solve their matters by sitting around a table and not by arguing on the streets, the kind of people who, amidst all differences, invite other people inside their homes and do not shut the door on their faces.

Little Men (2016): Life Goes On

Review by Nafees Ahmed

Indie films are usually not crippled by any external factor (read Production house, creative head, and pressure to generate manifold times money), hence it becomes easier for writers and directors of Indie films to express themselves without any baggage to please anyone else but their own way of storytelling.

And this has been proven time and time again, but ‘Little Men’ takes it a step further. What I really mean by ‘a step further’ would make more sense once you watch the film. The plot of ‘Little Men’ had ample opportunity to blow up the drama and dip it into over-dramatic sentiments and implausible twists. But Ira Sachs makes sure to take a path less traveled, and the result is that the film is achingly beautiful & agonizing heart-breaker.

‘Little Men’ can be interpreted in more than one way, and what is even more beautiful is that every character on its own has a story of its own, besides the obvious plot of ‘gentrification’ on its surface level. Ira keeps it subtle. He seems to be a keen observer of human behavior. This time, he observes good people pushed to a morally ambiguous situation where they have to make a decision that will severely damage one or more person/relationship(s). He gives characters their own breathing room; he lets them flow on their own will. He doesn’t hold the nerve of the story; it organically develops.

Greg Kinnear plays Brian, a struggling New York actor. He stays in his cramped apartment with his breadwinner wife, Kathy, played by Jennifer Ehle, and his introvert, artistic teenage son, Jake (Theo Taplitz), who finds it hard to make friends. When Brian’s father dies, they move into an upscale apartment in Upper Brooklyn. The ground floor has a sitting tenant who runs a dress shop that has been losing its charm; thanks to its owner, Leonor (Paulina García), who could not keep up with the ever-changing fashion world. Leonor had a good companionship with Brian’s father, and hence, he let her have the shop at a fraction of the market price.

The problem starts brewing when Brian reluctantly asks Leonor to pay three times the rent, which is still considerably lower than the market standard. Brian’s reluctance is principally because his son, Jake, has quite well bonded with Leonor’s son, Tony (Michael Barbieri). Tony is an extroverted, effusive, and wannabe actor who attends acting classes in the neighborhood.

The kind of genuineness Taplitz and Barbieri imparts to their friendship on screen looks more natural and believable than acting. Their friendship suffers collateral damage due to the business issue between their parents. “Our parents are involved in a business matter, and it’s getting ugly,” Tony tells Jake, “so they’re taking it out on us.”

Mr. Sachs quite intelligently intertwines the lives of two teenagers and adults seamlessly. He observes these little characters in the big city, trying to adjust to their shifting nature of emotional quotient. He never gives any opportunity to either judge adults harshly for their selfish nature or render them enough sympathy to root for them. He let viewers role-play and decide on their own.

And the heart-wrenching climax hits in your gut so hard that the film stays with you for longer than you would expect. And all this was achieved without any over-the-top dramatic conflict or antagonist. In many ways, ‘Little Men’ reminded me of Asgar Farhadi’s body of work. And that’s a rare thing.