Seth Zvi Rosenfeld Movies

Martin Scorsese's seminal 1975 drama Taxi Driver informs this tale of a neglected, Upper West Side outcast who slowly devolves into a potential murderer. John Leguizamo stars as Seymour, the mentally-challenged self-proclaimed "king" of the film's title. He's still in the care of his mother Mona (Julie Carmen), who is a protest organizer against their neighborhood's corrupt police practices. Although Mona lives happily with her lover Joanne (Rosie Perez), her ex-boyfriend Jack (Cliff Gorman) often shows up to antagonize the household, Seymour in particular. His assertion that the unstable young man is faking his malady only sends Seymour into an unpredictable rage. Shortly after the film's production, writer-director Seth Zvi Rosenfeld married his rambunctious star Perez; their friend Annabella Sciorra shows up in a supporting role. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Mick (Michael Raynor) and Lex (Nick Chinlund) are a pair of brothers who grew up in Harlem under circumstances that were difficult at best. Their mother Doreen (Cathy Moriarty) was a diabetic with a drinking problem and difficulty in saying no to men. While she wasn't a prostitute, she grew dependent on the little gifts her lovers would bring by, and as kids, Mick and Lex learned to accept this as the way things were. One night, Mick and Lex were taking a walk in the park when they were accosted by a cop who molested the younger Mick. Lex, older and strong as a grown man, attacked the cop, which led to a stay in a reform school. Years later, Mick is himself a policeman; while he's tried to bury the childhood incident in his past, he still shows emotional scars and is sexually dysfunctional. Lex, however, has taken the more dramatic slide. Since his stay in reform school, Lex has been in and out of trouble; today he has a combative relationship with Debbie (Rosie Perez), his girlfriend and the mother of his child and a going-nowhere job driving a bus. He also sells drugs for local dealer Lefty Louie (John Leguizamo), but has developed enough of a habit that his sales don't begin to compensate for the amount he uses himself. Mick tries to look out for his big brother, but it might be too late to save him. A Brother's Kiss was based on a play by writer/director Seth Zvi Rosenfeld, who grew up in the same neighborhood as actor Michael Raynor; Raynor and Nick Chinlund were also friends as children. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide