Stars Alan Arkin, Steven Strait, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia

Thank goodness the box office isn’t all about bangs for bucks. In a year when 3D reigns supreme and cinema seems only to be about the spectacle, along comes a sweet little character-driven indie flick to lift the spirits and put us all back in touch with the human condition.

When corrections officer Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) brings young ex-con Tony Nardella (Steven Strait) into the family home, his domestic life is thrown into disorder, bringing to the surface a host of festering secrets.

Although the plot may sound like the basis for a Shakespearean style tragedy, City Island has more in common with the Bard’s comedies.

With its farcical foundation, the film’s events have the potential for spilling over into tragedy but never seriously threaten to. Instead, it maintains a light tone that keeps it firmly on the comedy side of dramedy.

Produced by and starring Andy Garcia, this Raymond de Felitta written and directed light-hearted analysis of a dysfunctional family cleverly introduces a catalyst (Tony Nardella) to force the uncommunicative family – dad Vince, mum Joyce (Julianna Margulies), son Vince Jr (Ezra Miller) and daughter Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) – to confront their issues and bring them out into the open.

Tony helps – sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly; sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously – to draw key obstacles to the surface to be surmounted.

All of the family members isolate themselves and subsequently feel misunderstood by one another. Tony acts as a go-between and external commentator, helping them all to gain perspective on their lives both individually and as a family unit.

Tony’s dramatic role in the piece, combines with the film’s simple character-driven plot lend City Island a theatrical feel.

This helps to keep the tone comedic and allows us to view the proceedings objectively, which in turn facilitates the conveyance of de Felitta’s messages and themes.

This sweet and absorbing lo-fi film about ‘normal’ people (with all their quirks, idiosyncracies and insecurities) living in a lesser-known area of New York’s The Bronx, highlights de Felitta’s concern with illustrating the importance of understanding, communication and of staying true to yourself while also focussing on the needs and wants of your nearest and dearest.

A fabulous ensemble cast that showcases Andy Garcia’s underappreciated talent and his intriguing bent for comedy (the audition scene is pure comedy gold), Ezra Miller’s underplayed yet uniquely funny acting style and Steven Strait’s pure drool-worthiness makes City Island a memorable and engaging watch.

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