One can see shades of Woody Allen and Whit Stillman in A New York Story which I will call it. Or else, it is a love story about two New Yorkers who, despite class differences, walk about the New York landmarks in the transition from autumn to winter. I first fell in love with that kind of romanticism as a teenager, but nowadays, that style does not feel fresh to me or even mature. It, however, suits the characters as they try to find their way to each other through class barriers.
An important aspect of persistent criticism of romantic dramas happening in New York is the phrase that for some people has become worn-out–‘it’s a love-letter to the city’. What is very intriguing for me in A New York Story is the fact that the filmmakers, sisters Fiona and Sofia Robert, manage to transform this rather romanticized perspective of New York City into almost the opposite as the city develops from the artist’s hub into a morally shaky wealthy socialite-controlled place where the artist turned out to be out of the picture.
It is a fair assumption to say that Will Caffrey is brought out in the movie through Logan Miller. When I say ‘fair,’ I mean that he is the most known of the cast, he gets to open the film with the most known face and he has the knack of smokiness with him, making even an annoying socialite look pleasant. A standard description of these uber-wealthy, upper, upper-class aristocrats is that they all lead an incredibly lavish life and can articulate or expound on any discourse. That is exactly what Will Cafrey is doing. When some black tie gala that Will, Annabel (Fiona Robert) and their friends attended in the past is now a photographer Theo (Paul Karmiryan) takes a snap of them, not in his capacity as a tabloid press. Will and Theo discuss how New York was built by different kinds of artists but now, they are being forced out of New York. Will asks if he could go to a luxurious apartment of someone he knows. Theo is courteous but the rich friends see him for what he is and am very uncomfortable as he does not belong.
Every day is just the same old routine for Annabel and Will and their friends, day in and day out. The men go to a certain club and play pretend golf, if not busk. While the women go somewhere for lunch and fake eat, as well as gossip. And after that, they go back into one of their apartments in the evening where there are couches, drinks and conversations praising their lifestyles. Normal people would probably be bored but these are not ordinary people, they do everything easily. Almost all members of this social group, except for quite a few, represent the old rich, sort of like the Vanderbilts. Yet Annabel is a bit different, as her father was a poor child from a working family and became a Tony Award winning actor. She’s merely a generation away from that, but she still understands just how in the past, New York City was overflowing with artists. Being an actress is what she also wants to do, but for someone born into wealth and stardom, all it takes is picking up the phone and having someone induce them to star in their play.
An event occurs very early on in the text that I do not want to mention since it is quite shocking but it allows Annabel to see the moral gaps between her vile affluent so-called friends and a guy Theo, barely known for whom she can communicate her feelings and manage to comfort her.
The New York Story is a romantic book, but it is also about the life of an elite New Yorker who has nothing but experiences which are banal to him. It is a bit slow, and some parts of the philosophising are quite bloated, but I truly felt for Annabel and her predicament. She is fully aware of the benefits that come with being in the inner circle of New York flaunters, but under what responsibility?
I would enjoy the editing when Annabel walks out of another one of the upper-class gatherings and meets Theo. So many instances are funny where Annabel and Theo are together which is helpful to develop an attachment with them. It’s a romantic drama but not the usual kind. This is not so much about the money but the way money can provoke moral action.
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