If you’ve binged The Sopranos during quarantine but desperately wished you had more, The Birthday Cake is a great little upcoming indie to help fill that void, and the first official trailer has been released. Helmed by Jimmy Giannopoulos in his directorial debut, The Birthday Cake was produced and written by the director, Diomedes Raul Bermudez, and Shiloh Fernandez, who also stars as the lead. Screen Media Films is distributing the crime drama later this month.
Fernandez stars as Gio, who is tasked with bringing a birthday cake to a memorial celebration of the 10th anniversary of his father’s death (which was under mysterious circumstances). The celebration is hosted by his uncle, a Brooklyn mafia boss, but before he makes it to the party, Gio witnesses a murder that will force him to come to terms with the truth behind his father’s death. The film takes place over one night, and based on its visual and storytelling cues, The Birthday Cake is very much inspired by Martin Scorsese and seems to be a combination of Goodfellas and After Hours.
The plot summary sounds very intriguing, but it’s honestly overshadowed by the sheer talent of this stacked cast. Fernandez himself is an underrated actor, best known for his turns in the Evil Dead remake and Euphoria. Ewan McGregor also stars as Father Kelly and Val Kilmer stars as Gio’s uncle the mafia boss, joined by Ashley Benson, Penn Badgley, Aldis Hodge, Emory Cohen, and Jeremy Allen White. The film also has several Sopranos alumni, including the indomitable Lorraine Bracco and Vincent Pastore.
Although the mafia genre currently doesn’t reach the height of its popularity in the late 20th century, mob films have made a slight resurgence in the past few years. Most of these movies serve as a deconstruction of the genre, de-glamorizing it for audiences who are very aware of its cues and codes. Without question, the first one that comes to mind is Scorsese’s The Irishman, but some lesser-known mafia movies that also stick out are Killing Them Softly, Drive, and The Drop. The Birthday Cake seems to be taking the same route as these other underrated films, and I’m also sure it’ll spur a Sopranos rewatch.
Its trailer offers a glimpse at the gritty, dark crime drama, full of twists and surprises. We have a lot of moving parties with unknown motives, as every character seems to have an underhanded design on Gio and his mafia family. Filled with shaky-cam cinematography and toned-down color grading, the film is also reminiscent of the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems. Overall, with an incredible cast and a plethora of homages to its classic predecessors, The Birthday Cake may just be one of those hidden gems of 2021.
The Birthday Cake will be in theaters and on-demand on June 18. See the trailer below: