The Poet and the Con

Eric Trules's roughly edited documentary examines two manifestations of the outsider. Trules is a poet and performance artist. His uncle, Harvey Rosenberg is a lifetime hood. Despite a mutual admiration, the two men are worlds apart. Or are they? Both operate outside society's conventions, but how different are their chosen paths? Eric, a former clown, confesses that hearing of Harvey's criminal exploits awakens "a violence inside me." And when he reveals to his parents that he's been charged with commercial burglary in Hollywood (Harvey had been convicted of the same offense), a new question arises: who is the poet and who is the con? What starts as an interesting premise descends into melodrama when Harvey is nabbed for an old murder charge, is diagnosed with cancer, and dies before he can be convicted. Still, Trules's film is compelling and quite personal, despite being hindered at times by crude effects and snippets of his mediocre poetry. Screens at the Copley Place Monday, September 13 at 8:45 p.m. and Tuesday, September 14 at 3:45 and 5:45 p.m.

-- Michael Miliard

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Film Festival Feature Films

| The Minus Man | The Tavern | Black Eyed Dog | The Last September | A Wake in Providence | Man of the Century | Pups | Dreaming of Joseph Leeds | Wisdom of Crocodiles | That's The Way I Like It | American Beauty | Mifune | Black Cat, White Cat | Hit and Runway | All the LIttle Animals | Me Myself I | The Alchemist and the Virgin | Trash | Old Man River | The Poet and the Con | Snow Falling on Cedars | Guinevere | East is East | American Movie | Rivers of Babylon | Two Ninas | Rats | Keepers of the Frame | The Runner |

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More Boston Film Festival information, film descriptions, and show times

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