Moscow Never Sleeps (2016) Harlem International Film Festival 2017

Johnny O'Reilly's MOSCOW NEVER SLEEPS is a love letter to the city and it's people. A film with five plot threads running through it the film is a gorgeous, beautifully acted love song.

Beginning with an open credits that cleverly put the titles into the sky line of Moscow the film sucks us in and drags us along in it's five tales: A Business man has to deal the government officials, a young girl deals with her broken home, a celebrity is at the center of a kidnap plot, A singer has to choose between men and young man has to choose family or girlfriend. The tales occasionally intersect but mostly they run their own course giving a view of differing lives in the ancient city.

Unexpectedly wonderful, this is not really what I thought it would be. I'm not sure what I expected, but this isn't it. I think the fact that the film was written and directed by a man from Ireland made it seem like I was not going to be seeing something that felt so incredibly Russian. This is a film that feels like it was made by someone who lives and breaths Moscow. Apparently Ireland is now part of Russia.

While suffering from a small case of the affliction that many multi-narrative films suffer from - we want to spend more time with the characters- the film manages to keep the pains minor and fleeting by constantly returning us to the people who have now become friends.

I can't wait to see it again. Put iton your list of films to see.

While the film has completed it's single screening at The Harlem International Film Festival, it is scheduled to hit theaters June 9th so you'll have a chance to see it for yourself.