PAPER TIGER

In the summer of 1986, engineer Irwin Pearl (Miles Teller) is living a modestly comfortable middle-class life in Queens with his wife, Hester (Scarlett Johansson), and their two young sons, but can't help wanting more for his family. When his brother Gary (Adam Driver), a retired police officer, shows up at his home with big plans requiring someone with engineering skills, Irwin finds the offer hard to resist. The two soon find themselves entangled in a shady scheme that turns out to be too good to be true. As they try to navigate their way through the dangerous world of the Russian mafia, family bonds begin to fray with life-altering consequences. Writer-director James Gray (Armageddon Time) has crafted a deeply felt and intense thriller about the cost of ambition and an American dream that is, in his words, "part mirage and part aspiration."  Featuring a trio of terrific performances, a soaring, operatic score by Christopher Spelman and vivid cinematography.