Focus | Film Forum July 16, 7:30 PM

Details: Paramount Vantage Studios, 2001, (108 Min) PG-13
Director: Neal Slavin
Starring: William H. Macy, Laura Dern, David Paymer, Meat Loaf, Kay Hawtrey

A timid office worker tries to deal with hatred and anti-Semitism in 1940s Brooklyn, causing conflict in his community as a result of mistaken identity during the height of World War II. The movie is based on a novel by Arthur Miller, which he says was written during a period of disillusionment with the stage; angered by American anti-Semitism even during the war against Hitler, he wrote it in a white heat. It's a didactic warning that it can happen here. —Roger Ebert