The plot of this movie, like smoke itself, drifts and swirls ethereally. Characters and subplots are deftly woven into a tapestry of stories and pictures which only slowly emerges to our view. This film tries to convince us that reality doesn't matter so much as aesthetic satisfaction. In Auggie's New York smoke shop, day by day passes, seemingly unchanging until he teaches us to notice the little details of life. Paul Benjamin, a disheartened and broken writer, has a brush with death that is pivotal and sets up an unlikely series of events that afford him a novel glimpse into the life on the street which he saw, but did not truly perceive, every day. Finally, it's Auggie's turn to spin a tale.... Summary written by Tad Dibbern {DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu} This movie is a slice out of the lives of some present and former Brooklyn denizens all brought together by a smoke shop run by local "entrepeneur" Auggie Wren. Two days, one summer and 18 years are all examined in detail by the characters populating the film.

release year: 1995

star(s): Ashley Judd