'Little Men' Trailer: Ira Sachs Takes On Teenage Friendship And Gentrification

One film I was very disappointed to miss at this year's Sundance Film Festival was Little Men, the new drama by Ira Sachs. The drama might not sound all that exciting on paper — it concerns two young friends, Jake (Theo Taplitz) and Tony (Michael Barbieri), whose families begin feuding over a rent dispute — but the Keep the Lights On and Love Is Strange has demonstrated a gift for capturing the day-to-day realities of life in New York, and a particular understanding of the men (or in this case boys) navigating relationships with one another within it.

Fortunately, Little Men has turned out to be one of those Sundance charmers that hit theaters sooner rather than later. With a summer release date in sight, Magnolia Pictures has released the first Little Men trailer for your consideration. Also starring are Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Ehle as Jake's parents, and Paulina García as Tony's mom. 

The Playlist unveiled the first Little Men trailer.

Little Men opens August 5.

When 13-year-old Jake's (Theo Taplitz) grandfather dies, his family moves from Manhattan back into his father's old Brooklyn home. There, Jake befriends the charismatic Tony (Michael Barbieri), whose single mother Leonor (Paulina Garcia, Gloria), a dressmaker from Chile, runs the shop downstairs. Soon, Jake's parents Brian (Greg Kinnear) and Kathy (Jennifer Ehle) — one, a struggling actor, the other, a psychotherapist — ask Leonor to sign a new, steeper lease on her store. For Leonor, the proposed new rent is untenable, and a feud ignites between the adults.

At first, Jake and Tony don't seem to notice; the two boys, so different on the surface, begin to develop a formative kinship as they discover the pleasures of being young in Brooklyn. Jake aspires to be an artist, while Tony wants to be an actor, and they have dreams of going to the same prestigious arts high school together. But the children can't avoid the problems of their parents forever, and soon enough, the adult conflict intrudes upon the borders of their friendship.