According to the IMDb, James Gray's grandparents were "Russian immigrants." This movie was his vision and I strongly disagree with his warped view of immigrants. Years ago when I was in a wealthy suburban town far from Brighton Beach, I was asked whether I saw the film. I was also asked whether I was ever involved in the Russian mafia. I answered "no" to both questions. It was true I had never seen the film, nor had I ever been involved with Russian organized crime. I was a first-generation American, who because of my parents and grandparents was able to speak Russian, and my family's hopes of achieving the "American Dream" rested firmly on my shoulders. The man who had asked me these questions was an accomplished educator, who had even once been invited to the Oval Office. He was always borderline derisive of me and I felt that he had seen me as a stereotypical "Russian mobster in the making." It was years later when I finally watched the film and I was fuming. I want to convey several issues to Americans about this film. The most important issue is that crime exists everywhere, but Brighton Beach is not controlled by the Russian Mafia. There is barely any presence of Russian organized crime, and most residents have vaguely heard or interacted with these elements. The protagonist of the film, a Russian Jewish hit-man who fled Brighton Beach to evade the ire of the Russian Mafia, was a plot-driven character who did not even slightly resemble any of the young immigrants who arrived to Brighton Beach during the 1970's and 1980's. Joshua Shapira was as realistic as Peter Pan. Second, the elderly generation was poorly portrayed in this film. It was filmed in 1993 and Jacob's 80-year-old grandmother was James Gray's idea of an "off-the-boat" immigrant. I almost laughed at how the grandmother only spoke Yiddish and was an "old world" zombie. That is absolute nonsense. It is true that that generation could speak Yiddish, but they in fact spoke Russian much more frequently and were quite cognizant of history, politics, and current events. That generation, my grandparents, attended English courses for immigrants and were able to converse in basic English. I will admit that not all could do this. Some still had to work, while others had to babysit their grandchildren. My point is that the grandmother in this film, an "Old World" Yiddish-only zombie, was not in any way, shape, or form similar to the grandparents of the Soviet Jewish immigration. My grandfather, who recently passed away, spoke Yiddish, Russian, and rudimentary English (because he worked in this country for many years). He also was always mindful of American and world politics. The portrayal of grandparents in this movie was ridiculous and unrealistic. For example, on my way to the Brighton Beach library I remember overhearing two World War 2 generation Soviet immigrants discussing Hillary Clinton's first international tour as Secretary of State in 2009. The baby boomers, who are grandparents today on Brighton Beach, can speak English proficiently and are quite Americanized. Third, the mother suffering from cancer at home and implicitly unable to get medical care because she is an immigrant is absurd. The United States fully provided medical care and support to the underprivileged. If the Shapiro family were in fact as poor as the family portrays, she would had been able to receive Medicaid/Medicare benefits and the government would have paid for her treatments. It was a sinister exaggeration that the poor immigrant suffering from cancer had to die at home and implicitly the reason was because of her "impoverished immigrant status." Absolutely bogus. She would have been provided full medical benefits and not suffer at home like portrayed in the film. Fourth, the father in the film was the stereotypical "Soviet dictator" parent who was domineering, abusive, and emotionless. The character was just a plot-driven element of the film not remotely similar to any of the Soviet Jewish immigrants who had supported their children, who were either born in the USA or arrived as young children. He was clearly the antagonist of the film, and when the accomplished educator I had mentioned earlier spoke to me about Brighton Beach, I distinctly remember him asking what my father was like. I can assure you that 99% of the Soviet Jewish parents were not Stalin-like brutes. They, in fact, were completely supportive because they wanted their kids to be successful Americans. The father in this film, who dressed like they did at the turn of the century and not the 1990's and stood on Brighton Beach at night with others drinking Vodka with prostitutes, was nowhere close to any reasonable behavior or individual I have encountered on Brighton Beach. The father was an absurd character created by a warped view of what a Soviet immigrant patriarch would be like. I won't spoil the ending for those who haven't seen it, but as the entire movie suggests Brighton Beach is a dark world full of crime, sadness, and tragedy. False. False. False. New Yorkers from all five boroughs travel to the beach and boardwalk during the warmer months, and Brighton Beach is full of restaurants, Sushi bars, and Russian nightclubs. I cannot explain to you how ridiculous it was when Joshua in the end sat in his car alone thinking about all the tragic events during the film. Even when this was filmed in 1993, the movie was a terrible and inaccurate portrayal of Brighton Beach and the Soviet Jewish immigrants who inhabit it. I can tell you that the Soviet Jewish immigrants who arrived when they were young and first-generation Americans who were born here did not live in "Little Odessa" and were not inclined to a life of crime. Education, hard work, and successful careers are the attributes of those who inhabit Brighton Beach and this movie was complete fiction in its portrayal of the older immigrants, younger immigrants, and first-generation Americans.
Review of Little Odessa
