Synopsis:
In
George
Gallo's
wise
and
warm
coming-of-age
tale,
a
young
artist
seeks
inspiration
from
an
experienced
painter
and
liberation
from
his
father's
worn-out
ideas.
Quiet,
dreamy
John
(Trevor
Morgan)
would
rather
visit
museums
or
paint
than
play
baseball
or
chase
girls,
and
this
worries
his
rough-hewn,
homophobic,
fire-breathing
father
John
Sr.
(Ray
Liotta).
When
a
local
art
aficionado
turns
John
on
to
the
impressionist
paintings
of
reclusive
Russian
immigrant
Seroff
(Armin
Mueller-Stahl),
who
just
happens
to
live
nearby,
John
impulsively
decides
to
find
Seroff
in
the
hope
that
the
Russian
will
take
him
on
as a
student.
Unfortunately,
their
first
meeting
doesn't
quite
go
as
planned:
"I
don't
teach
and
I
don't
paint,"
Seroff
huffs,
before
slamming
the
door
in
John's
face.
But
John's
perseverance,
coupled
with
his
gifts
of
vodka,
soon
sways
the
gruff
old
maestro.
As
the
summer
progresses,
both
men
discover
new
ways
to
see
the
world
and
all
its
colors.
Mueller-Stahl
anchors
the
film
with
wisdom
and
sly
rage
as
the
prickly,
embittered
Seroff,
while
Morgan
conveys
an
appealing,
youthful
charm
as
John.
In
his
youth,
director
Gallo
studied
with
the
landscape
painter
George
Cherepov
and
was
later
featured
in
three
one-man
exhibitions
in
New
York.
His
love
for
painting,
and
for
the
respite
it
provides,
is
apparent
in
every
frame
of
this
gentle,
inspired
film.
--
Tribeca
Film
Festival
2006
Program
|