3 Backyards

Three dark-hued tales of life in a seemingly quiet Long Island suburb collide in this ambitious drama from writer and director Eric Mendelsohn. John (Elias Koteas) and his wife (Kathryn Erbe) are clearly unhappy with one another, though they don't want to talk about what's wrong, and when his flight out of town is canceled at the last minute, John decides not to go home. Instead, he checks into a motel and spends his spare time wandering the neighborhood where he used to live. Peggy (Edie Falco) is a middle-aged housewife driven to distraction by boredom, and she's initially thrilled when she discovers that a popular actress (Embeth Davidtz) has moved in next door. However, when the actress asks Peggy for a lift down to a nearby ferry, it leads to an unfortunate confrontation. And when eight-year-old Christina (Rachel Resheff) misses her school bus after swiping some jewelry from her mother's bedroom, she tried to walk there on her own. Taking a shortcut through the woods, Christina finds herself in a strange neighborhood, where she's exposed to the corrupt influences of the adult world. 3 Backyards received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi