Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

The drama of an immigrant Mexican family set in the New York borough of Queens. Careworn mother Mariana lives with her eternally- -absent husband, her daughter, and her 13-year-old autistic son Ricky. On his way home from school one day Ricky gets lost in the subway, where he remains helpless and trapped beneath a metropolis that never sleeps. During his frightening odyssey, the boy gets to know the varied inhabitants of New York. The family sets out in search of him but their chances are slim, especially when destructive hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the city with incalculable menace. Director Sam Fleischner´s first independent offering boasts uncommonly credible performances from the central characters, whose story unfolds in a culturally diverse urban environment. The picture avoids excessive plucking at the heartstrings, yet it remains a deeply-felt although sober take on the topic of autism. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)