John Sayles has a history of making films that focus on a slice of culture and the interaction of various economic classes, social orders, and ethnic groups within that environment—all in a less-than-conventional way. If Sunshine State—Sayles's latest effort—had been made as typical Hollywood fare, the setup would be rich developers versus ignorant-but-goodhearted landowners, black versus white, and greed versus compassion. Instead, Sayles prefers to take a more realistic approach, working in a world where shades of gray are plentiful and there are no easy answers.

The story is set on a Florida island resort that has been pinpointed for takeover by avaricious developers. Sleepy little Plantation Island is outwardly quaint and appears almost untouched by the outside world. But as the characters reveal themselves, Sayles makes it clear that these people are as exposed to modern cultu...Read the entire review

Based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's novel, Enemies, A Love Story is the tale of one Herman Broder; a man with no talent for marriage who ends up simultaneously married to three women. Director Paul Mazursky (Bob&Carol&Ted&Alice, An Unmarried Woman) painstakingly creates the world of late 1940s America and the lives of four Holocaust survivors grappling with the emotional fallout from their pasts.

Ron Silver stars as Broder who lives on Coney Island with his overly devoted wife Yadwiga (Margaret Sophie Stein). Broder stays with Yadwiga not out of love, but out a combination of gratitude and guilt—Yadwiga was responsible for saving him from the Nazi's. Broder's true passion is Masha (Lena Olin), another survivor whose unpredictable emotional state shows through her tough veneer. Masha and her mother live in an apartment in the Bronx and Broder's visits are welcomed...Read the entire review