Liberty Kid. 2007. USA. Written and directed by Ilya Chaiken. With Al Thompson, Kareem Savinon, Anny Mariano. DCP. 92 min.
“There is not a single wrong note in Liberty Kid,” Jeannette Catsoulis observed in the New York Times. Indeed, Ilya Chaiken’s “poignant drama” is one of the few films to meaningfully capture the feeling of living in New York in the aftermath of 9/11, as Chaiken evokes the unforeseen consequences of an unthinkable tragedy on the lives of working-class immigrant families. Al Thompson and Kareem Savinon are touching as a pair of South Williamsburg friends forced to make impossible choices when they lose their jobs at a Statue of Liberty concession stand after the terrorist attacks.