A semi-retired associate of the Jewish mob in Los Angeles tries to save his impressionable grandson from a life of crime as he’s pursued by three vengeful cops.

Director’s Vision

While studying acting with my teacher Jack Waltzer, I met Barry Primus and David Proval and the idea for Five Families began to form around that time. I approached this short much differently than other shorts I’ve made in the past, which if I’m being honest I tended to rush along into production. With this project Barry and I spent about a year working on the character, discussing his backstory and motivations, and allowing Frank to reveal himself. Having that time to work properly was invaluable. The result, I hope, is a layered narrative that gives a sense of who these people are today, who they were at a time when figures such as Frank and Benny were thriving, and the way certain divisions of law and order have become delineated, or in the case of the film, entirely reversed.

Watch the film on Amazon Prime