Barriers Synopsis

"A welcome exploration of race and class" - Time Out

Huntington International Film Festival Winner, Artistic Achievement

A compelling and poignant drama about an unlikely friendship between two black youths, one rich, the other poor and the barriers of race and class that threaten to tear them apart.

When Tori, an affluent urban teen, befriends Snake, a streetwise kid from Harlem, his concerned parents hire Phil (Annie Golden) to be his Nanny to watch out for him. Soon Snake's older and more dangerous brother emerges and Phil realizes the job is much more involved than she ever imagined.

When Tori's father's credit card turns up missing, Snake is blamed. Upset and confused over Snakes's possible disloyalty, Tori searches the city in hopes of confronting his friend. Quentin Crisp also stars as a strangely profound local deli-owner to advise Tori along the way.

Eventually, Tori's pursuit of Snake leads the pair into a deadly showdown that not only tests the limits of their friendship, but forces those around them to reevaluate their ownnotions of race, class and the value of loyalty.