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Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

Play trailer Poster for Stand Clear of the Closing Doors Released May 23, 2014 1h 34m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 34 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Ricky, an autistic teen living in Queens, has a difficult time fitting in at school. He is scolded for skipping class and hides out in the subway as Hurricane Sandy closes in on the city.
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Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

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Critics Consensus

Unassuming yet irrevocably absorbing, Stand Clear of the Closing Doors uses a refreshing perspective to explore universal themes.

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Critics Reviews

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Amy Taubin Film Comment Magazine A New York movie as surprising and inventive in showing us the city through the eyes of a runaway boy as Morris Engel's Little Fugitive must have seemed to audiences in 1953. Aug 28, 2019 Full Review J. Hoberman ARTINFO.com The sub working-class, Latino milieu shades more exotic than authentic, but the cast is terrific, the movie is extremely well-shot up close and personal. Feb 25, 2019 Full Review Drew Hunt Chicago Reader The director's view of the wider world is flat and schematic; the mother's dealings with an indifferent school district, the ineffectual police, and her aloof ex-husband lack complexity, and the maudlin tone overwhelms any social insight. Jul 17, 2014 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com The cast is mostly comprised of non-professional actors, a fact that seems to give the film an air of authenticity. Rated: 3.0/4.0 Sep 24, 2020 Full Review Pat Padua Spectrum Culture Reveals the breadth of human behavior and experience as one in which dysfunction is a matter of degree as much as the DSM-V. Rated: 2.75/5 Aug 31, 2018 Full Review Robin Clifford Reeling Reviews Mariana and Ricky's stories develop separately but are solidly linked by a mother's love for her child. Rated: B Feb 16, 2015 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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harrison r Really enjoyed this, and glad they kept it pretty true to reality. Great acting, great set design, editing, direction, and of course filming during Hurricane Sandy turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Ironically, It's difficult for someone with Attention Deficit Disorder to sit through. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Stand Clear of the Closing Doors Full Movie Download =>> http://moviepilot.com/posts/3781798 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member An exceptionally well-made film about love, loss and the power of family. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member It's nice to see that New York City, the unglamorous one, the surreal one of the subway that never sleeps. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Sam Fleischner's film works so amazingly well because he limits the scope of vision down to three of the film's characters: The over-worked, desperate immigrant mother who is just barely keeping things together, the normal teenage daughter who is dealing with her own needs to fit and, most importantly, the son and the younger brother who is limited within his own world of thought caused by Autism or most likely Asperger's Syndrome. As dark as the film sometimes becomes, there is this magically gift of an acute and highly intelligent "world" in which Ricky must attempt to navigate as he becomes lost in the harsh realities of reality. Essentially Ricky is stuck in the NYC subway system. His mind races to understand, explore and interact with this accidental adventure. At times scary, unsettling and surprisingly hopeful. It is a powerful and magical adventure. Most impressive is how well Fleischner and his actors are able to establish these three characters so fully and so casually. When the film reaches it's conclusion it made me think of "Mad Max Fury Road" -- which offered a grim pulsating and unrelenting apocalyptic race with very little in the way of a "pay-off" ...while "Stand Clear" is a far different kind of film -- it does offer an amazing ride through what sometimes feels "apocalyptic" but when Fleischner's ride comes to it's end. There is a potent pay-off for the viewer. This is an amazing little film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Ricky, an autistic teen living in Queens, has a difficult time fitting in at school. He is scolded for skipping class and hides out in the subway as Hurricane Sandy closes in on the city.
Director
Sam Fleischner
Producer
Andrew Neel, Veronica Nickel, Dave Saltzman, Alexandra Byer, Craig Shilowich
Screenwriter
Micah Bloomberg, Rose Lichter-Marck
Distributor
Oscilloscope Pictures
Production Co
How Follows What, M ss ng p eces, SeeThink Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 23, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 24, 2015
Runtime
1h 34m
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