Urbania

One of the most talked-about movies of the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, this film, directed by Jon Shear, recalls the edgy, aggressively-political qualities of early '90s queer cinema such as Poison (1991) and Swoon (1991) -- and throws in a few nods to Martin Scorsese's late-night New York City ...more

Non-linear surrealism and narrative filmmaking can sometimes be a deadly combination, but not in this arresting, visually assured debut from Jon Shear. A hypnotic trip through one man's discovery of the bizarre rhythms of New York City, where boundaries of reality and myth blend into each other, Urbania is very close in style and composition to Atom Egoyan's stunning 1995 film Exotica but with a mystique all its own. The film gives true meaning to the phrase "independent cinema," as it feels ...more