Dirty Old Town 2012
Distributed by Microcinema International/Microcinema DVD, 71 Stevenson St. Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94105; 415-447-9750
Produced by Mark Benjamin, Paul C. DeCegli, Jenner Furst, William Leroy, Daniel B Levin, Marc Levin, Julia Willoughby Nason, Stephanie Porto, Rudy Valdez
Directed by Jenner Furst, Daniel B Levin
DVD, color, 77 min.
College - General Adult
American Studies, Film Studies
Date Entered: 09/04/2012
Reviewed by Tom Ipri, Drexel UniversityDirty Old Town opens as Billy (William Leroy) is confronted by his landlord regarding the overdue rent for his second-hand goods shop. The landlord gives Billy an ultimatum: come up with two month's rent within 72 hours or have the store shut down. To complicate matters, Billy's daughter is soon heading off to college and he needs money for her as well. Billy is aided in his quest by a "troop of misfits" who hang around his store. The focus of the film is more often than not on the carnival inspired atmosphere of the shop and its hangers-on than on the urgency of Billy's dilemma. Side plots revolving around a young prostitute and an undercover cop and Billy's friend who is tailing him occupy significant screen time, giving this lean film a leisurely feel that belies the premise.
That said, first time feature film directors Jenner Furst and Daniel B Levin have crafted an impressive looking low budget feature full of compelling images, sharp editing and an exciting soundtrack. The numerous characters are skillfully introduced and, despite some shaky acting here and there, interesting and compulsively watchable.
Dirty Old Town focuses on events over a few days in New York's Bowery but subtly touches on broader themes of post 9/11 anxiety, recession era unease, and the threat of the increasing corporatization of America.