Mendelsohn's film may be small, but it is a perfectly formed story that peers behind the lace curtains of a suburban Long Island town. With a long solar eclipse used as the film's backdrop, we meet a few of the town's inhabitants, all of whom are yearning to be fulfilled.
Falco dreams of becoming a movie star, and runs into an old school friend (Harnick) who has failed as a director in Hollywood. His equally screwed-up parents are in a seemingly loveless marriage - dad (Dishy) considering an affair with a teacher at the school where he works, mum (Kahn) chattering away to anyone who'll listen. Shot in black and white, the film is given its colour by Mendelsohn's sad script and the superb performances, most notably from Falco and the luminous Madeline Kahn, in her final role.