Prince of Broadway

Writer-director Sean Baker's Prince of Broadway serves up an unglamorous urban NYC drama set amidst the city's ethnic crazy quilt, focusing in particular on the seedy underground of the garment district. Lucky (Prince Adu) is an illegal African immigrant who makes a meager living as an under-the-table employee of Levon (Karren Karaulian), an Armenian-Lebanese immigrant running a small storefront boutique that sells counterfeit fashion accessories in Manhattan's Flatiron neighborhood. Lucky's life is turned upside down when former fling Linda (Kat Sanchez) materializes with a child she claims is his. Left with the toddler (Aiden Noesi), the reluctant father embarks on a crash course in single-daddyhood. Meanwhile Levon's marriage to young club-hopper Nadia (Victoria Tate) disintegrates. The baby crisis turns into something of a catalyst and a turning point for both men seeking the elusive American dream. The story is told with streetwise dialogue (heavily improvised by the novice cast), while the handheld camera lends the film a sense of intimate docu-drama realism. A gritty slice-of-life piece, this is highly recommended. Aud: P. (C. Cassady)