Closing Night: Paper Tiger

Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller are terrific in James Gray’s electrifying, Cannes-selected crime thriller set in 1980s New York, that sees a suburban family get involved with the Russian mob.

Irwin Pearl (Teller), a hard-working engineer, is a devoted husband to Hester (Johansson) and father to two boys. When his much flashier older brother Gary (Driver), an ex-cop who has gone into the private sector, comes to him with a proposition, Irwin is reluctant. Gary, with his refined taste in clothes, cars and cuisine, lives in a world far removed from Irwin’s modestly aspirational suburban existence. But Irwin’s engineering experience could make the brothers viable partners in a lucrative urban regeneration project – one that involves the Russian mob. The lure of easy money, and large sums of it, proves too attractive, and Gary’s connections to the police force and his easy confidence cause Irwin’s reluctance to fade. It doesn’t hurt that his newfound audacity brings him more respect from his sons (who adore and look up to their uncle). But when Irwin decides to take the boys to the worksite and they encounter the Russian gangsters doing something illicit, it sets off a devastating series of events. All the while, Hester must deal with a personal crisis of her own. Drawing on both his filmography and autobiography, Gray stylishly builds a fascinating world in this riveting thriller that serves as both a portrait of a complex family and of a country undergoing a radical change in its value system.

Bid farewell to the Sydney Film Festival at the Closing Night Ceremony at the State Theatre. Find out which films take out SFF's top prizes at our awards ceremony, then enjoy the Red Carpet Premiere of _Paper Tiger._