Late Fame

Ed Saxberger’s routine life as a New York post office worker is interrupted when a young poet, Meyers, shows up one day outside his apartment. Gushing about a poetry collection of Saxberger’s from the 1970s, Meyers believes he never got the praise it deserved and convinced him to meet his friends from an emerging literary salon, including working actress Gloria. Intoxicated by her alluring presence and the group’s wave of adulation, Saxberger nevertheless must reckon with the authenticity of his newfound community. This thoughtful, witty film, sparked by Willem Defoe’s remarkable performance in a role only he could have done, is a wistful yet unromantic story yearning for the once-vibrant downtown Manhattan art scene an gently poking fun at the idealization of struggling artists and the all too human feeling of simply being seen.