''Williamsburg'' is a 2006 American independent film written, directed, and edited by Brad Saville, as a

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

feature length A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

narrative

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

that provides a satirical look at the lives of seven failing artists in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a Neighborhoods in Brooklyn, neighborhood in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bedford–Stuyvesant to the s ...

Background

''Williamsburg'' follows the style set by the French film ''

La Ronde La Ronde may refer to: Geography * La Ronde, Charente-Maritime, a commune in the Charente-Maritime ''département'', France * La Ronde River, on the Caribbean island of Dominica *La Ronde (amusement park), Montreal, Quebec, Canada *A La Ronde, an ...

'', individually following one character before changing focus when that one interacts with another as the new focus. It was shot on a low budget over a 10-day period, and filmmaker Brad Saville taught himself film editing to complete the project.

Premise

The film follows the lives of artists and artistic poseurs who inhabit a Williamsburg "hipster" neighborhood, as each tries to be true to their own creative inspirations even if such dedication results in self-destruction.

Cast

* Russ Russo as Brother James * David Marcus as Will * Olja Hrustic as Adella * Penny Bittone as Truman * Evertz Israel Saenz-Perez as Miguel * Jeff Roll as Monty * Anna Lamadrid as Anna * Afi Ekulona as Rafael * Tehila Kronfeld as Truman's Amy * Rayan Lawrence as G-Train

Critical reception

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. It first ...

wrote that aspiring filmmakers should seek out this film in order to "gain inspiration from what cinematographer Will Sargent and director Brad Saville achieved from behind the camera." They felt that in black and white, the film offered "a series of bold, artistic compositions that uses monochromatic hues to create an extraordinary play of light and shadows" and a "striking visual style". They praised the use of camerawork that "brilliantly" mirrored the interplay of its characters. However, it was found that the filmmakers tended to dwell on certain scenes or camera angles too intently to be completely successful. This method required that the cast keep dialog flowing longer than might be expected, but they were themselves praised for bringing their characters life and providing "a memorable tapestry of lives on the artistic fringes." The efforts of actors Russ Russo, Penny Bittone, and Evertz I. Saenz-Perez were singled out as particularly good. The review concluded with the summary "All told, “Williamsburg” is an impressive and memorable achievement."

Release

The film premiered at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival on May 9, 2006, followed by screenings at the Queens International Film Festival in November of that year, and at Delray Beach Film Festival, the Syracuse International Film Festival, and the Long Island Wine Country Film Festival in 2007.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 0808921, Williamsburg 2000s English-language films