Legendary New York poet Ed Saxberger’s forgotten works captivate an eccentric group of young creatives, reigniting his artistic passion. Their intrigue intertwines with the bewitching presence of actress Gloria.

‘Late Fame’ is a comedy drama adapted from Arthur Schnitzler’s novella of the same name, with Willem Dafoe playing Ed Saxberger, a former poet who published a collection in his youth before largely abandoning writing and settling into an unremarkable life in New York. Decades later, he is approached by a group of wealthy young artists who have discovered his forgotten work and regard him as an overlooked literary genius. Suddenly finding himself celebrated for something he had long since left behind, Ed is drawn into their world and begins to wonder whether the recognition he once wanted might finally have arrived.

Dafoe is excellent in the leading role, playing Ed as a fairly ordinary and unassuming man who is initially bemused by all the attention but understandably begins to enjoy being treated as an important artist. There’s something quite touching about seeing his old ambitions reawakened, particularly as he starts writing again, and Dafoe is very good at showing the mixture of pride, uncertainty and vanity that comes with his unexpected second chance.

The film is also very funny in how it portrays the young artists who have adopted Ed as their latest discovery, wittily skewering the pretentiousness of wealthy art students who take themselves and their work enormously seriously. Ed is both flattered by their praise and slightly bewildered by the world he has found himself in, which provides much of the humour, while also allowing the film to have some fun with ideas around artistic credibility, recognition and who gets to decide what constitutes great art.

‘Late Fame’ is a relatively small and understated film, but one that gets plenty from its central idea and from having Dafoe at the heart of it. There’s an amusing irony in Ed finally receiving the acclaim he once wanted from a group whose opinions he isn’t always entirely sure he respects, while the film has enough affection for him to prevent the satire from becoming too cynical. Dafoe is terrific throughout, and I enjoyed this witty look at what happens when recognition arrives several decades later than expected.

Rating: 4/5

Directed By: Kent Jones

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Greta Lee, Edmund Donovan, Clay Singer, Luca Padovan, Graham Campbell, Arthur Langlie, Jake Lacy, Tony Torn and Clark Johnson

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt32298494/