Must-See: Little Men's Big Hearts

Ira Sachs doesn't so much make movies as offer intricately carved keyholes into the lives of modern New Yorkers. While 2014's Love Is Strange traced the financial woes of an older gay couple, the director's latest, Little Men, follows two Brooklyn teens: shy artist Jake (Theo Taplitz) and his outgoing aspiring actor pal Tony (Michael Barbieri), the son of a Chilean seamstress who runs a dress shop she's rented from Jake's grandfather for years. As with Love Is Strange, the drama here hinges on real estate. Jake's grandfather has died; his parents (Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Ehle) want to raise the shop's rent. Tony's single mom (Paulina Garcia) can't afford it, the tension simmers, and things get ugly. All the while, the boys stay tight, navigating the city and nurturing each other's talents, resolute in their friendship. Theirs is a special kind of love, fleeting but formative, a blessing for them and a joy to behold.

Little Men hits theaters August 5. Watch the trailer below:

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