The City

Released Sep 13, 1998

1h 28m

Drama

List

83%

Tomatometer

12 Reviews

100%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

Four gritty stories chronicle the Latino immigrant experience in New York City. In the first, desperate day laborers risk their lives working in unsafe conditions for low pay. Then, newcomer Francisco (Cipriano Garcia) gets a respite from loneliness when he meets a kindhearted woman. Next, homeless puppeteer Luis (Jose Rabelo) battles bureaucracy to register his daughter for school. Finally, garment worker Ana (Silvia Goiz) struggles for the paycheck that could save her sick daughter's life.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent The City on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

It gives faces to the faceless and is not easily forgotten.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 21, 2001

Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 21, 2001

Full Review

Stephen Holden

New York Times

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 21, 2001

Full Review

Jake Euker

F5 (Wichita, KS)

Rated: 1/5

Jun 12, 2005

Full Review

TV Guide

Rated: 4/5

Jul 30, 2003

Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

These four portraits of poor Latin American immigrants living in New York City draw out our fury over the large gap between the haves and the have-nots in America.

Mar 4, 2002

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

Moving look at Hispanic immigrants in New York City. Shot in an understated neo-realist black and white, Riker strikes a poignant balance between visual rawness and dramatically affective stories, all without the tiresome melodrama of Oscar-bait, such as Crash.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

one of doug's first production and one oft fsvorites.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A haunting, compassionate look at the day-to-day lives of all too many Hispanic immigrants in New York City.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

inspirational, Riker shows he has a real filmmaker's heart going out of his way to perfect is filmmaking by not being selfish and doing it "his way" but rather let the "real" filmmakers aka the subjects tell their story and changing his script to adapt to their lives and realism. A true masterpiece in that effort and spirit, true filmmaking.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A moving portrayal of the experiences of undocumented workers, in four short dramas about Latinos in New York city. The director co-wrote the script with the cast, mostly non-professional actors.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A very moving film, excellent direction and lovingly filmed in black and white. It is reminiscent of the Italian new wave cinema from the late forties and 1950's. The amateur cast does a remarkable job. Excellent score. A very touching film. Excellent.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

David Riker

Director

Fernando Reyes

Man

Marcos Martinez Garcia

Man

Moises Garcia

Man

Anthony Rivera

The Boy

Cipriano Garcia

Francisco, the Young Man

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Central Station

94%

95%

Central Station

Rosetta

90%

83%

Rosetta

Bread and Roses

67%

78%

Bread and Roses

No Turning Back

60%

40%

No Turning Back

I Am Cuba

100%

92%

I Am Cuba

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Four gritty stories chronicle the Latino immigrant experience in New York City. In the first, desperate day laborers risk their lives working in unsafe conditions for low pay. Then, newcomer Francisco (Cipriano Garcia) gets a respite from loneliness when he meets a kindhearted woman. Next, homeless puppeteer Luis (Jose Rabelo) battles bureaucracy to register his daughter for school. Finally, garment worker Ana (Silvia Goiz) struggles for the paycheck that could save her sick daughter's life.

Director: David Riker
Producer: Paul Mezey, David Riker
Screenwriter: David Riker
Distributor: Zeitgeist Films
Production Co: Echo Lake Productions, North Star Films, Independent Television Series
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 13, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $239.1K
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

Most Popular at Home Now