PMA Films: Late Fame

Directed by Kent Jones. 96 minutes. Not Rated. In English.

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.