San Francisco, 1969. Ralph Arlyck turned his camera on Sean, a precocious 4-year-old who lived upstairs from him in a crashpad full of hippies in Haight-Ashbury. Arlyck's candid short film, in which Sean talked casually about smoking pot, living with speed freaks, and watching cops bust heads, garnered great acclam — and sounded alarms — at the time. Now, thirty years, three generations, and a lifetime later, Arlyck returns to find Sean, his freewheeling father, sarcastic communist grandma, and the rest of his boisterous family.
This riveting family saga — a chronicle of growing up and moving on — works both as social comment and suspense flick: Will Sean's alleged pothead past and family drama catch up with his present-day reality as a struggling husband and father? Seemlessly blending rare archival footage with vivid portraits of 60s survivors, and bravely exposing his own personal dramas, Arlyck follows Sean along an epic time-trip filled with moments of surprising tenderness and humor. FOLLOWING SEAN, an Upstate Films and Shadow Distribution release, runs 87 minutes, is in English, and is not yet MPAA rated.
WATCH THE TRAILER, to find out more!
"The finest film I've seen this year!... As affecting
as one of Chekhov's sobering tales."
- BOSTON PHOENIX
"You will be deeply,
quietly moved."
- WASHINGTON POST
"Remarkably subtle... a totally
unsettling work."
- ROLLING STONE
"A masterpiece of documentary
work and a moving piece
of cinematic poetry."
- CULTURE VULTURE
"Exhilarating"
- SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"Marvelous... exquisitely resonant...
It touches on a universality that
transcends VW buses and
Bush-era politics."
- ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
"A fascinating portrait
of an American family."
- SEATTLE TIMES
"Splendid... Arlyck constructs, between the 60s and today,
a bridge as beautiful and touching as the Golden Gate."
- LE CANARD ENCHAINE
Feature articles in: NEWSWEEK, SF CHRONICLE, BOSTON GLOBE, and MORE!
***Interview with Ralph Arlyck on MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO***
MAY 4th - 8th at the RED VIC MOVIE HOUSE in SAN FRANCISCO!
*** Q&A with Sean Farrell and producer/editor Malcolm Pullinger
on Thursday, May 4th! ***
Showtimes
Thurs & Fri, May 4 - 5 — 7:15, 9:15
Sat & Sun, May 6 - 7 — 2:00, 4:00, 7:15, 9:15
Mon, May 8 — 7:15, 9:15
*to get more information and buy advanced tickets, visit the RED VIC website.
Red Vic Movie House
1727 Haight St., San Francisco
415-668-3994
Located on Haight Street between
Cole & Shrader – click here for directions
