Magnolia Pictures has released the first trailer for the upcoming drama Little Men. Co-written and directed by Love Is Strange filmmaker Ira Sachs, the film revolves around a young boy named Jake (Theo Taplitz) who, when his family is forced to move from Manhattan back into his father’s old Brooklyn home, strikes up a friendship with a young boy named Tony (Michael Barbieri). The duo’s friendship is strained when tension arises between their families over business arrangements.

The picture drew rave reviews from its debut at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and it indeed looks to be a remarkably human piece of work with swell performances from the two newcomers. Moreover, the addition of Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Ehle to the ensemble doesn’t hurt either.

Check out the trailer below. Little Men also stars Paulina Garcia and Alfred Molina and opens in theaters on August 5th.


Here’s the official synopsis for Little Men:

When 13-year-old Jake's (Theo Taplitz) grandfather dies, his family moves from Manhattan back into his father's old Brooklyn home. There, Jake befriends the charismatic Tony (Michael Barbieri), whose single mother Leonor (Paulina Garcia), a dressmaker from Chile, runs the shop downstairs. Soon, Jake's parents Brian (Greg Kinnear) and Kathy (Jennifer Ehle) -- one, a struggling actor, the other, a psychotherapist -- ask Leonor to sign a new, steeper lease on her store. For Leonor, the proposed new rent is untenable, and a feud ignites between the adults. At first, Jake and Tony don't seem to notice; the two boys, so different on the surface, begin to develop a formative kinship as they discover the pleasures of being young in Brooklyn. Jake aspires to be an artist, while Tony wants to be an actor, and they have dreams of going to the same prestigious arts high school together. But the children can't avoid the problems of their parents forever, and soon enough, the adult conflict intrudes upon the borders of their friendship.

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