Joe the King

1999 · 96 min · EN · 5.8 (49 votes)

Dir. Frank Whaley · Starring Noah Fleiss, Karen Young, Camryn Manheim, Austin Pendleton, Val Kilmer, Max Ligosh · Music Anthony Grimaldi

“The road to disaster is paved with many small mistakes.”

CrimeDrama

A destitute 14-year-old struggles to keep his life together despite harsh abuse at his mother's hands, harsher abuse at his father's, and a growing separation from his slightly older brother.

VIBE

This film feels like a punch to the gut. It's a raw, unflinching look at a kid navigating a world of abuse and neglect. The 70s setting adds a layer of faded desperation to the bleak, yet compelling, character study.

grittybleakheartbreakingrawunflinchingsteadykitchen sink realismcharacter studyindie dramaabusefamily dysfunctioncoming-of-agepoverty

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child abuse1970sclassroomabusive fatherdineralcoholismcoming of agemoneyspankingdebttheftsemi autobiographicalroller skating rinkschool counselorsyracuse, new yorkteenage protagonist