THE GREAT NEW WONDERFUL

Year: 2005
USA: First Independent Pictures
Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tom McCarthy, Judy Greer, Naseeruddin Shah, Sharat Saxena, Tony Shalhoub, Jim Gaffigan, Olympia Dukakis, Dick Latessa, Edie Falco, Stephen Colbert, Jeremy Shamos, Will Arnett, Billy Donner, Rosemary Dewitt, Seth Gilliam, Jim Parsons, Martha Millan, Ed Setrakian, Marilyn Chris, Kapil Bawa, Sam Catlin, Ari Graynor, Bernie McInerney, Priscilla Shanks, Tom Ford, Mario Polit, Tony Kushner, Julie Dretzin, Alex McCord
Director: Danny Leiner
Country: USA
USA: 88 mins
USA Rated: R for language and some sexuality
USA Release Date: 23 June 2006 (Limited Release - New York, Boston and DC)


Synopsis

"Shock can be a tricky thing. Sometimes our emotional response to horrific events can be hidden from us at first, only to appear after some time has passed."

THE GREAT NEW WONDERFUL is populated by people you know: New Yorkers you see on the elevator, in the supermarket, at the gym. Without a trace of sentimentality, director Danny Leiner, a Brooklyn native, and his extraordinary cast paints five portraits of life in this city a year after the attacks of 9/11.

Dr. Trabulous (Tony Shalhoub) is an orthodox psychologist who utilizes his unique insights to unearth the buried rage of an ordinary man (Jim Gaffigan) who has witnessed an office tragedy.

Emme Keeler (Maggie Gyllenhaal), the ruthless proprietor of The Great New Wonderful - a leading purveyor of pastries to the New York society set - struggles to unseat NY's reigning Queen of Cake (Edie Falco), to great success and profound consequences.

David Burbage (Tom McCarthy) and his wife Allison (Judy Greer) struggle to keep their marriage together while coping with their increasingly difficult and strangely self-possessed 10 year-old son.

Avi (Naseerudin Shah) and Satish (Sharat Saxena), immigrants, best friends and security guards, travel around the city casually observing contemporary America until dramatic events force them to re-evaluate their opposing perspectives.

Judy Berman's (Olympia Dukakis) routine is upset when she reconnects with a childhood friend whose passion for life kindles unexpected desires of her own.

One year after 9/11, these stories reveal that being lost always precedes a new beginning.