Stars of stage and screen descended on Greenport Friday evening for a special screening of the new film Ezra at the North Fork Arts Center. The film follows a father, Max Bernal, played by Bobby Cannavale, trekking across the United States with his autistic son, Ezra, played by first-time actor William A. Fitzgerald, who is on the autism spectrum.
To celebrate the film’s theatrical opening, Cannavale, his Ezra co-star and real-life partner Rose Byrne, and Tony Goldwyn, who directed and co-stars in the film, arrived in Greenport. They bolstered a very special screening for its screenwriter and Greenport resident, Tony Spiridakis. Spiridakis shared his film, a love he labored over for more than a decade, with his friends and fellow villagers at his newly preserved and renovated North Fork Arts Center, which celebrated its grand opening last month.
Tony Spiridakis [the film’s screenwriter] and I have been best friends for over 40 years. We met at the Williamstown Theater Festival in 1981 where I got my first professional job (I was still at Brandeis). Tony was the first person I laid eyes on as I stepped out of my ’77 Chevy Nova, and I knew instantly that we would be friends for life. We’ve been best men at our weddings and are godfathers to each other’s first child. The film is based on Tony’s relationship with his son Dimitri, who is autistic. (Tony has two neurodiverse sons, both of whom are exceptionally gifted. Nikos is now a film editor and Dimitri is an extraordinary painter.)
Robert De Niro stars as Stan, Max’s father, reflecting a powerful family dynamic.
The audience first meets separated couple Max, a standup comic living with his father, and Jenna, a real estate agent played by Byrne, at a moment of crisis when a school administrator informs them of Ezra’s disruptive behavior.
After an accident causes injuries to their child, a doctor demands that Ezra take new medication and attend a special school for children with unique needs. Worried this will do more harm than good for Ezra, Max kidnaps him and embarks on a transformative journey to Los Angeles, where Max is slated to perform standup on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Multiple scenes illustrate how Stan and Max’s relationship suffers communication struggles akin to those between Max and Ezra. Various moments reveal deeper themes exploring universal familial conflicts. Director Tony Goldwyn notes that parenting requires patience: I think we have to give each other a break, and know that we’re going to make mistakes. But as long as we love, we’re going to get through it.
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