La Ciudad (The City) (1998)
-
83% of critics liked it
(12 reviews) -
74% of users liked it
(304 ratings)
In the tradition of neorealist films like Vittorio De Sica's The Bicycle Thief comes an American film (in Spanish) about Latin-American immigrants living in New York City. La Ciudad, which was screened in the American Spectrum series at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, was directed by David… More In the tradition of neorealist films like Vittorio De Sica's The Bicycle Thief comes an American film (in Spanish) about Latin-American immigrants living in New York City. La Ciudad, which was screened in the American Spectrum series at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, was directed by David Riker, who spent five years researching the project and working with the non-professional actors in the film to capture the impoverished authenticity of life on the streets in New York's Latino community. All four stories concern the lives of poor, working-class people. In the four segments, a young bricklayer is killed when a wall collapses on him; two teenagers fall in love at a Sweet 15 party, only to lose each other in a housing project; a homeless man cannot enroll his daughter in school because he lacks proof of residency; and a seamstress in a sweatshop cannot pay for her daughter's medical treatments. The stories have tragic endings, reflecting the harsh realities of life in the ghettos of New York. ~ Arthur Borman, Rovi
- Directed By
- David Riker
- Written By
- David Riker
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Sep 13, 1998 Limited
Critic Reviews
-
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
These four portraits of poor Latin American immigrants living in New York City draw out our fury over the large gap between the haves and the have-nots in America.
-
Julia Levin, Filmcritic.com
it is the absence of any kind of inner force in the film that disturbs me more than its morbid subject matter
-
Ed Kelleher, Film Journal International
A haunting, compassionate look at the day-to-day lives of all too many New Yorkers.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Fernando Reyes
as Jose
-
Marcos Martinez Garcia
as Armando
-
Moises Garcia
as Abel
-
Anthony Rivera
as Boy
-
Cipriano Garcia
as Francisco
-
Leticia Herrera
as Maria
-
Jose Rabelo
as Luis
-
Stephanie Viruet
as Dulce
-
Silvia Goiz
as Seamstress
-
Antonio Peralta
as Photographer
