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Like 2006’s Paris, je t’aime, New York, I Love You attempts to capture the spirit of one of
the most beloved cities in the world. It celebrates life and love in the many nooks and
crannies of NYC using an array of opportunistic characters and incidental encounters. This
ensemble piece, with its overall message intact, is a collection of vignettes from some truly
remarkable international filmmakers including Fatih Akin (Head-On), Mira Nair (Salaam
Bombay!), Shekhar Kapur (Bandit Queen), Allen Hughes (Menace II Society), and most
unfortunately, Brett Ratner (the Rush Hour films).
Paris, je t’aime was an amalgamation of 18 short films by 21 filmmakers, whereas New
York, I Love You only features 11 segments and respective directors. Harbouring similar
running times, the two anthologies were designed to exhibit key characteristics of a
particular city’s temperament and style, but because co-producer and creator Emmanuel
Benbihy wanted to explore deeper themes using lengthier discourses, the duration of each
vignette has been extended here. I haven’t seen Benbihy’s first conception, but what he’s
achieved here by employing multiple filmmakers from varying cultural backgrounds is a
cocktail of perspectives on chief universal subjects. His goal may not necessarily have been
geared towards sincerity through balance, because he certainly doesn’t achieve that. What
he does, however, is provide a convincing, endearing ballad of the most potent experiences
known to the collective consciousness.
As Australians, we’ve become gradually more accepting of the living, breathing idea of
multiculturalism, and as Westerners living in a fully developed nation, I believe that
Australians will be in the best position to empathise with New York, I Love You’s thesis,
unless, of course, you’re a racist, backward hick. That said, while Benbihy and his
collaborators affectionately care for these type of films – expect at least three more “Cities
of Love” anthologies in the coming years, including Shanghai, I Love You, Jerusalem, I
Love You, and Rio, Eu Te Amo – their passion in fostering positive and primordial ideals will
never be enough to steer audiences away from the bleak, harsh realities of urban morality
tales. They’re just not weighty enough, and sadly have become a thing of the past. But,
maybe what they’re doing is a good thing; keeping the dream alive.
I’m not going to go through each and every segment in New York, I Love You for one
simple reason; I’d be here all week. I will, however, point out the obvious truth: the films
crafted by the non-Americans here are infinitely more thoughtful and spiritually satisfying. I
especially liked Fatih Akin’s story about a Turkish artist who approaches a young Chinese
woman to be his muse. In less than 8 minutes, we know everything about these two widely
disparate characters, and without allowing his story to unfold in the conventional manner,
Akin renders his narrative with a poignant tragedy which indelibly underpins his fascination
with cultural diversity and fate. Akin excels in exploring said themes, having won multiple
international awards for his films.
In contrast, the American filmmakers here do only an adequate job. In fact, the one thing
that this collection does achieve is identify the stark aesthetic concerns between culturally
diverse filmmakers, because by comparison, the Americans don’t have shit on their foreign
counterparts. This may sound like a horrible cliché, but it’s absolutely true. I love the films
of The Hughes Brothers, but I found the solo work of Allen Hughes somewhat postpubescent
given its thirty something protagonists. Joshua Marston’s tale of a couple nearing the end of
their life is tender, but it quickly becomes tedious and boring, and Brett Ratner’s farce was
just downright rudimentary and fashioned with bad taste. It’s the one vignette that felt
superbly out of place.
Special mention goes to Shekhar Kapur whose segment features another brilliant and
versatile performance by Shia LaBeouf, and Shunji Iwai for utilising Dostoyevsky in a
previously unseen light, not to mention extracting a decent performance out of a brilliantly
cast Orlando Bloom. Natalie Portman makes her writing and directing debut here with
another compassionate view on racial segregation in New York City. Her effort here,
although far from perfect, shows much promise in her becoming an important filmmaker in
the years to come. And, Yvan Attal’s contribution starring Ethan Hawke as a self-professed
guttermouth and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a piece of NYC tail features some clever yet
explicit dialogue, but unfolds more like a fanciful joke with subsequent punch line.
This is a hipster-cool collection of short films by some of the premiere film artists in the
world. They make New York look like the best place on Earth. Everything from the fashion,
the bars, the restaurants, the food, the shops, the sidewalks, the streets, and the cityscape
itself has an ambiance that is so pungent it almost leaves a favourable taste in your mouth
and a lingering scent in your nostrils. As I said before, the non-American filmmakers seem to
capture the true essence of NYC better than those who actually live there or live nearby. In
fact, it reminded me of how John Schlesinger envisaged Midnight Cowboy back in 1969, and
how distinct that vision seemed to be. Here, the foreigners do the same thing. They’re able
to view a given subject and city through virgin, untainted eyes.
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