Buffalo '66 (1998)

Buffalo '66 is a darkly comic, quietly unsettling character piece about Billy Brown, a recently released convict who returns to his working-class hometown of Buffalo with two missions: to confront the man he blames for his prison sentence, and to maintain the illusion he’s built for his estranged parents — that he’s married and successful. When Billy impulsively abducts Layla, a young dancer he meets by chance, he forces her to pose as his wife for a tense, painfully honest family visit. What begins as an act of desperation slowly unravels into something more complicated as both characters reveal their vulnerabilities. Watching the film, you’ll experience an odd mixture of discomfort and sympathy. The tone shifts between bleak humor and raw emotional exposure: awkward family dinners, small-town rituals (like obsession with the local football team), and Billy’s brittle, angry exterior give way to quieter, intimate moments that build an uneasy but genuine connection. The movie blends bleak, sometimes surreal visuals and a stylized soundtrack with raw, idiosyncratic performances — making it as much an exercise in mood and character study as it is a conventional plot-driven story. Expect an offbeat, slow-burning romantic and psychological drama that can be both painful and oddly tender. It’s the kind of film that makes you squirm in places, then quietly pulls you into the hopes and regrets of two damaged people trying, in their own awkward ways, to be seen.

Actors: Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Ben Gazzara

Director: Vincent Gallo

Runtime: 110 min

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

7.2 /10 69 /100 7.4 /10 7.2 /10