Thomas Ferreiri (Tim Blake Nelson – “Old Henry”) is not an attractive man. He’s a diabetic, has bad teeth, uses foul language, and lives in what can best be described as a nightmare of trash and auto parts. His neighbor and aunt, Dolly (Lois Smith – “Lady Bird”), detests him.
But two women have just come into the life of this misanthropic auto mechanic: Freckles, a woman from Brooklyn with whom he’s been communicating via computer messaging, and Jess, an aggressive real estate agent. Freckles (Mireille Enos – “World War Z”) drives out to the east end of Long Island, where Tom and his brother Milton (Matthew Maher – “The Mastermind”) live in squalor. It turns out they have a lot in common: both are diabetic, come from “humble” backgrounds that they have not risen out of, are lonely, and are looking for another chance for a happy life.
Then there is Jess Finch (Anna Chlumsky – “Bride Hard”). She lives an aggressive, middle class life with her police detective husband and is out to take advantage of the growth in property values just now reaching the edge of the Hamptons, where the Ferreiri property is “on the beach.” However, Tom’s eyesore property and business stand in the way of her multi-million dollar real estate deals.
Writer/director Ari Selinger (“Folks”), in his feature directorial debut, has taken the real-life story of two people on the edge and given us a surprisingly heartwarming film. Tom is certainly unappealing on first examination, but Selinger and Nelson are able to show us the humanity under the offensive exterior. We learn a little about the forces that have ground him down since childhood and made him the unhappy creature he is today. We also get to see how the love of these two “losers” for each other gives them the strength to stand up against the “civic improvement” forces that want to take away everything they have.
Chief among these are Jess and husband John (James Dale – “King Ivory”), who conspire with the town bigwigs to bring down the auto shop, even going so far as to fake evidence to get a court order to forcibly clean up the property – at Tom’s expense.
All the players are excellent, especially Nelson and Enos, with notable performances from Smith, Maher, and Dale.
There are a few weak spots in the story line, which occasionally borders on the two-dimensional, but the movie is enjoyable, holds your attention, and while the ending is not the happy one a fictional tale would have provided, it is heartfelt and spirit affirming.
Be sure to stay through the closing credits for video clips of the real Tom and Freckles. Director Ari Selinger met the couple while shooting his first film project, became friends with them and eventually accepted Tom’s suggestion to make their struggle with Montauk (one of the Hamptons) into a movie.
Runtime: One hour, 52 minutes
Availability: Various festivals, including the Hamptons International Film Festival
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