“Doesn’t just hark back to The Kid; it formally revives the Chaplin classic in the street theater of Dinkins-era Greenwich Village…creat[ing] a wild spontaneity that can morph from riveting to fun to tense and alien in the space of a half-block.” –Slant Magazine

It’s perhaps no surprise that a micro-budget black-and-white neo-silent film directed by and starring an unknown Black man didn’t exactly light it up at the box office when it was just barely released into theaters in late 1989, but it’s still a minor tragedy that SIDEWALK STORIES isn’t more widely seen. Inspired by Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, the film follows an unhoused artist (Charles Lane) who is forced to play surrogate parent when the father of a young girl (Nicole Alysia) is murdered. Taking the child into the depths of the slums that he calls home, the artist keeps the little girl healthy and happy while doing his best to search for her living relatives. As the artist and the child venture through the streets together, they meet a strange assortment of characters while slowly developing a close friendship. Produced by, directed by and starring Lane, SIDEWALK STORIES is an entrancing, funny, and deeply profound film that explores social problems like racism and poverty with the elegantly light comedic touch of the silent masters. Lane’s film is one to be cherished.

Before the film, we’ll be spotlighting the forgotten legacy of African-American silent films with a pre-show starting at 1 pm.

This film is screening as part of Arkadin’s “Offbeat Black Comedies” series, a collection of wonderfully peculiar films made by African-American directors.

Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and DoesTheDogDie.com, as well as through general internet searches.