October 11 2026, 16:01
Late Fame
Ed Saxberger, once a poet of local renown, works in a New York post office sorting letters. One night, returning home, he spots a young man across the street, Meyers, who gushes over Saxberger’s old poetry and invites him to meet his group of artistic friends. Saxberger hasn’t written a poem in decades but is seduced by the enthusiasm of the motley troupe of playwrights, poets and actors into performing with them. This makes him reassess a part of himself he thought was long dead.
I’m not as old as Saxberger, but the idea of an older man who published one book and then stopped writing, hanging out with young people who have their creative lives ahead of them, got under my skin. Willem Dafoe has such an expressive face, I could look at him for hours, and he plays a man who has settled into a simple, comfortable, possibly lonely life. The only genuine talent in the new artistic group is slightly older actress Gloria, played by Greta Lee, and it’s through her presence that Saxberger experiences a renewal of creative energy.
Saxberger’s life is one of peaceful working class stagnation. Embodying the persona of a poet again brings him into conflict with his old friends, but his new friends, it becomes clear, are more interested in being famous than doing any creative work. Gloria and Saxberger spark off each other enough that she is inspired to take a job in an acting company in another city, but he is much older and unable to change so drastically. The finale is a bitter blow that shows Saxberger what’s truly important at his stage of life.
I’m trying to curate a mix of films in this #ShadesofAutumn list, old and new, horror and arthouse. I’ve seen far more films in the cinema than at home, so that’s driving the unexpectedly high number of new releases I’m posting about. I seem to be defining the idea as I go along. Let’s see what it looks like when it’s done – October 31st is probably the place to stop.
All films in #ShadesofAutumn2026...
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