Thoughts #9: City Island
The most remarkable stories are not marked by the journeys that were taken but rather the characters that were in them. Written and directed by Raymond De Felitta, City Island is a film of truth and family. A film of lies and love, and a film of acceptance and forgiveness.
Andy Garcia co-stars alongside Julianna Margulies as wedded Vince and Joyce Rizzo. The film follows the life of both Vince and Joyce and that of their children. We learn quite quickly the individual behaviours the Rizzo’s lead are drastically different than that of which they allow the rest of their family to see. It is not until Vince decides to bring in, unannounced, his illegitimate, 24 year old, law breaking son as part of the family that the lies and secrets begin to break out.
Whether it be Vince’s secret passion for acting, or his son’s sexual fetish for feeding overweight women the film plays out with emotion throughout and ends in a satisfying climatic scene.
What I think of as Garcia’s best work since The Godfather and The Untouchables, City Island focuses on the strong character development like all great films do and it is a film that should not be missed by anyone.
