James Gray’s new crime drama Paper Tiger has been set as the opening night film of the 64th New York Film Festival, where it will make its North American premiere on Sept. 25. The movie stars Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller, and marks Gray’s first feature since Armageddon Time in 2022.
The selection continues Gray’s long relationship with the festival. It will be his fourth film to screen there, following The Immigrant and Armageddon Time as main selections, and The Lost City of Z, which played the festival’s closing night. According to the report, the opening-night slot has often gone to films that later become awards-season contenders, including several best picture nominees over the years.
A New York-set story with an awards-season backdrop
Paper Tiger was first shown at Cannes earlier this year, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation. In a review cited by the report, Variety’s Owen Gleiberman described the film as carrying “the dread-fueled engine of a neo-New Hollywood vérité thriller.” Set in 1986, the story centers on brothers Irwin and Gary Pearl. Irwin gets pulled into trouble with the Russian mob after trying a get-rich-quick plan to clean up the Gowanus Canal, while his former cop brother Gary is the one person who can help him.
New York Film Festival artistic director Dennis Lim said Gray has long been part of the festival and called the film a career-best achievement. Gray also said he was grateful to return with a project deeply tied to New York City and to share it with cast and crew members, many of whom are New Yorkers. Gray and members of the production will attend the opening-night screening, and more festival titles are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Source: variety.com
