This film is far from perfect. Several key parts were miscast, most notably that of Long Island toughie Farrakhan. Some of the acting walks that fine line between uncomfortable realism and awkward amateurism that is so often present in independent film.
Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by this, Benoit Graffin's first feature-length effort. The main character, Alfred, is interesting in his naive simplicity, an offbeat anti-hero who inspires just the right amount of sympathy and frustration in the audience to keep them involved in the story.
"Le New-Yorker" comes off as a refreshing mix of American indie sensibilities and French low-to-mid budget know-how. Not a movie for everyone, but it easily held the interest of this viewer.
