Tuesday 15th September at 12.30pm 

Late Fame

The great Willem Dafoe lends his delicate gravitas to the role of Ed Saxberger, a forgotten New York poet who works in the post office. After an eager and flattering young admirer (Edmund Donovan) appears on his doorstep, Saxberger is beckoned into a coterie of twentysomething admirers who anoint him as a rediscovered genius. 

Intoxicated by the attention—and by the alluring presence of Gloria, the group’s “tragic heroine” (a sinuous, Kurt Weill–crooning Greta Lee)—Saxberger gradually reckons with the authenticity of his newfound poetic circle.

This thoughtful, witty second feature from Kent Jones (DIANE), working from a sly and hugely entertaining script by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Samy Burch (MAY DECEMBER), is a wistful yet unromantic look at a lost idea of downtown New York.

“It reaffirms that Burch is a notable talent with a particular knack for creating complex and contradictory female characters. It may be Ed’s story, but it’s Gloria who steals the film whenever she’s on screen, thanks to a knockout turn from Lee.” Wendy Ide, Screen International