Pratfall

Rating: 8/10

Director: Alex Andre

Writer: Alex Andre

Style: Drama

Time: 1 hours, 48 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Review by Mike Szymanski

The opening of this film reminds me a bit of my favorite Edward Albee play “The Zoo Story” where an erratic, over-talkative pushy guy inflicts himself on another guy on a Central Park bench who really wants to be left alone. Their encounter changes both of their lives in a short period of time.

In “Pratfall,” actor Joshua Burg plays Eli, who is a very disturbed antsy guy wandering around Central Park. Eli tries to engage people he passes on the street, then he insults them. A neighbor tries to talk to him while waiting for the elevator, and he takes the stairs. He’s essentially one of those people that you may want to avoid when you are in Central Park, or any park.

He gets angry at nothing and yells at people taunting strangers with “another wonderful day in New York” and criticizes them for visiting or trying to have a good time in the Big Apple. He often breaks off and talks to himself or someone who isn’t there, and he is quick to insult and belittle anyone who is around him.

Burge portrays Eli with stark humanity, despite the frightening edge he puts on his character that makes it seem like he can do anything, and will. He finds a very vulnerable French tourist Joelle (played by the remarkably subtle and beautiful Chloe Groussard) who seems a bit lost and desperate while wandering the park.

Eli notes her “I love NY” t-shirt and then he emasculates her by saying nobody loves her. and nobody cares Later, he tries to give her money for a new shirt because she seems to no longer love New York. She’s insulted that she is being considered a prostitute and can be bought off with a hot dog.

Burge has an angular sharp face, whose portrayal of Eli can be both endearing and disturbing at the same time. You can see Burge in films such as “Buzzard,” “Relaxer” and “The Revenant” the gritty outdoors film which earned Leonard DiCaprio an Academy Award.

Groussard is making her feature film debut with this movie. She is a fresh-faced actress with only a few credits who shows fear, joy and despair with her subtle facial expressions.

For some unexplainable reason, Joelle decides to follow the irritating Eli after he gives her half of a hot dog and a bit of bottle water to wash it down. She wants him to show her New York because no one else she has met so far seems to know the city like he does.

Eli is plagued with sleepless nights and warns Joelle that there are dark parts of the city. He says of the city, “It’s not for the feint of heart.” He tries to break away from Joelle, who keeps following him and she pleads, “Come on, I’ve been all by myself for days.”

Eli has dealt with recent terrible losses in his life. He tells Joelle to stop talking so much. He says, “We’re not rude here in New York, so stop talking.”

Humor and edginess runs through the whole film, which seems mostly ad-libbed as a camera follows around the two actors through town with their impromptu tour of the sidewalks of New York. Eli remains intrigued by Joelle, who is a bit of an optimist with a seemingly secretive past.

Alex Andre the writer and director, cameraman and editor is showcasing this as his first-time feature debut. He previously only made a short film before tackling this challenging cinema verite style of a movie.

It’s worth going on this fascinating tour of Manhattan, with two very different people as they explore cafes, bars, parks, museums and the crowds while making funny, disturbing and off-beat commentaries of what they see.

They talk about anything and everything. Eli tries to explain to Joelle about the song “Home of the Range” and how the deer and antelope play, and she surprises him by kissing a city street light pole. Yes, anything can happen.

In a very similar tone for this film is the unique series of Richard Linklater movies that he did with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke in the “Before” films. The sequential films “Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset” and “Before Midnight” follow the same couple who meet and re-meet while they walk and talk along the streets of Paris.

This pair of actors may seem very discordant at first, but they have a dynamic connection while on screen together.

As much as Eli convinces Joelle that she is safe as they walk the city all night, he can’t keep her that way. The end may be unsatisfying, jolting and unpredictable, but it certainly seems appropriate for a midnight Manhattan stroll.

This delightful, heartfelt, tragic little movie won the Best Feature Spirit Award at the 2023 Brooklyn Film Festival. And, Groussard deservingly won the Best Actress at the Manchester Film Festival in 2024.

“Pratfall” is available to rent and own on all digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms.

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