Review of The American Side (2016) by David T — 14 Jul 2016

I had the pleasure of seeing The American Side in DC at The Avalon, which included a welcome question and answer session right afterward with director and co-author Jenna Ricker and lead actor and co-author Greg Stuhr. There is a lot to like about The American Side in both story and spectacle. It stands shoulder to shoulder with films that influenced and inspired it, casually flirting with some elements of the genres, thoughtfully eschewing others, and then smartly refusing to submit to such confines.

What I felt most drawn to was how well portrayed was the role of the character of the city of Buffalo and its influence on the human characters in the film. Having grown up there I have a hard time separating my fondness for the city with my affinity for this aspect of the film. I was thankful for the recognition of the city's readily available opportunities of visual depth. But what I found most notable was the treatment of the influence that class and ethnicity can have on interpersonal interaction. It can at times be a strength or a weakness of Buffalo's residents, and it is here in some cases played as obvious and matter of fact and in others made notable by its absence.

I recommend this film not just because of how well the talent of the ensemble cast enriched an already engaging story but because through their skilled collaboration Greg and Jenna created a film I enjoyed for unexpected reasons and on multiple levels.