Amy Adler In Manhattan, where 11 million folks live, one can still feel very alone. Dr. Rose Phipps (Heather Graham) certainly does. She has recently suffered the death of her toddler son and it has caused her marriage to fall apart. Ex-husband Mark (William Baldwin) lives elsewhere and has tried a new romance, with mixed results. Meanwhile, Tomas, a mail clerk by day and a painter by night, is startled to learn he is going blind. This news was delivered by Dr. Rose, who urges him to call his family for support. He has none. However, Isabel (Elizabeth Pena) is a co-worker who has his best interests at heart. Finally, Simon (Victor Rasuk) is a twenty- something who works in a photo shop and takes artistic photographs on the side. Unfortunately, his mother is a troubled lady who drinks too much, never having got over her husband leaving her. She has made incestuous gestures to her son, which has left him shy and a virgin. Spying Rose on the street, as these folk all live and work near each other, Simon begins to take photos of Rose, beautiful ones. Is he interested in Rose as a woman? How will all of these troubled lives go on? This stunning film is very touching, very disturbing in parts, and very adult. Though not overly described, the topics of masturbation, incest, and voyeurism are present. This will tell some viewers to "stay away". Yet, the stories are touching as these flawed folks have sad and lonely lives but might, finally, establish connections with others. All of the cast members, Graham, Baldwin, Rasuk, Pena and the rest are quite wonderful. This term also applies to the scenery, script and thoughtful direction. If you can get past a touch of objectionable material, Adrift in M is a piercing examination of the human experience.

maryszd Adrift in Manhattan is a small, lovingly made, melancholy film about the intersecting lives of various emotionally wounded people in Manhattan. As I watched the film though, I felt something was "off." Then I realized it, the Manhattan in this movie is much too quiet. I lived in Manhattan for years and one of my overriding memories of it is the constant noise; sirens, garbage trucks, horns honking, boom boxes, crazy people yelling, etc. Yet, in this film Manhattan is a quiet, dignified place. If only! I wonder what the film would have been like if it actually had the background noise that's so much a part of the city. I think it would have improved the film and made the characters' loneliness all the more poignant.

freitagfan I enjoyed the movie. Didn't expect a lot and was pleasantly surprised by the storyline, the characters and the development. It is one of the movies that doesn't give enough information about the characters (on purpose) so that it leaves you with questions and wanting more. The inter relation between the characters is extremely light so that normally annoying feature actually added to this film. Some of the features of the movie are a little disturbing but I wouldn't consider them weird enough to prevent most people from enjoying the movie. For me a 7 means I enjoyed it and would definitely watch it again. I just wouldn't be thrilled to have paid $10 to see it.

Alfred Palmer I often get annoyed at movies like this, where you get too many character threads interweaving. These types of films tend to spend too little time on the characters, and thus have to rely on superficial plot twists and clichéd conflicts. I put Crash and Babel in these categories. Both enjoyable enough films, but they fail at their core because they focus too much on the events that the characters face, rather than their response to them. Enter "Adrift in Manhattan." The ambition here is less than a Crash or Babel -- it's not trying to explain the modern angst of society or draw global interconnectedness links -- but rather to simply explore the lives of a small group of characters in a one city whose lives happen to intersect. As a result, we get to really know them, see what's driving them (shockingly, through their acting and the filming, and not uninteresting plot twists -- most of the intense events that drive them all took place prior to the film), and then watch how it unfolds. There are no neat plot resolutions. Rather, the characters are left with their lives, but hopefully with a more evolved sense of where they fit in it, and how to take control of it. For me, this is great storytelling and a perfect kind of character-based film. In addition, nearly all of the performances are exceptional. Heather Graham seems to have pushed herself in a completely different direction from her typical fare. Anyone who thought she was just fit for light-hearted role (and I include myself in that group) is in for a remarkable surprise. Her character is grieving heavily, but Graham never overdoes it. Instead, she lets the grief speak for itself, and the result is undeniably moving. Ditto for a handful of moments that are truly hysterical. It's a revelation to see her play a comedic moment in a drama without laying it on. Similarly Victor Rasuk is exceptional, particularly given the dearth of actual lines he has. His eyes, his posture, and his hesitancy give his character the depth that it needs. He's a completely different character from the one we saw in Raising Victor Vargas. Withdrawn, shy, insecure... and yet, his camera convincingly and effectively draws him out of that. And perhaps the sweetest storyline is that of Dominic Chianese and Elizabeth Pena, whose tentative romance is one of the most tender I've ever seen on film.This movie is an honest 10. Everything in it is earned. The script is very strong, and not overpowering or contrived at any point. The cinematography is beautiful, and really catches the flavor of a real and gritty Manhattan. And finally the direction is superb. Given the tightness of the script, the movie has to rely on shooting to really show us the characters and what they are feeling. And it does so exceptionally. I recommend it unequivocally to anyone who enjoys a very well crafted character-based drama.