“The movie is a delicate creation, with no big punch line or payoff. Watching it, I was in the moment: It was about these people wandering lost through their lives. Afterward, I felt good about them.”
Screened in tribute to Paul Auster (1947 - 2024)
Harvey Keitel stars as Augustus ‘Auggie’ Wren, a Brooklyn tobacconist who takes a single photograph of his store-front every morning at 8am in order to help appreciate the small moments of life. He also lends an ear to the various trials and tribulations of his customers, who gather at his corner shop to puff out their troubles. Paul Auster adapted the screenplay from his own short stories, resulting in a witty and moving New York tale with a cast that includes William Hurt, Stockard Channing, Harold Perrineau Jr., Giancarlo Esposito, Ashley Judd and Forest Whitaker. Smoke spawned a loose, improvised sequel, the charming Blue in the Face, which we’ll be screening on Tuesday 11 June.
