Paper Tiger
Singapore Premiere
James Gray USA 2026 114 min NC16 (Some Coarse Language)
A modest father in 1980s New York and his unremarkable family find their lives upturned by a get-rich scheme gone wrong. This textured crime thriller is anchored in performances that underscore the grandness, despair and humanity of wanting more.
The Pearls, an unremarkable family in a 1980s New York suburb, live cordially, though sometimes anxious about money. Unlike his headstrong wife, Irwin is lamblike and easily swayed—especially when his flashy brother Gary comes knocking with a lucrative business idea. When the brothers’ eagerness to make bank ensnares all of them in a murky Russian group, the true price of their aspirations becomes clear.
James Gray, a longtime chronicler of retro America, serves up a crime thriller but tempers the genre’s excesses for an elegant human scale. With its celluloid textures and heavyweight performances, where strains in a voice feel like a cocked gun, Paper Tiger is a tactile exploration of the American Dream in its brilliant, brutal twilight.
Synopsis Writer: Ryan Lim
24 Oct, Sat 9:00PM / 114 min
Filmhouse, Green Room
30 Oct, Fri 1:30PM / 114 min
National Museum Singapore, Gallery Theatre
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Paper Tiger
James Gray
USA
2026
English
English
114 min
NC16 (Some Coarse Language)
Singapore Premiere
James Gray
American filmmaker James Gray’s character-driven works often feature immigrant experiences, classical storytelling and immense star power. His feature debut, Little Odessa (1994), clinched the Silver Lion at Venice, and most of his subsequent films have competed for top awards at major festivals. Paper Tiger, his ninth feature, premiered in Cannes’ main competition and opened New York Film Festival.
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Anthony Katagas,
Raffaella Leone,
Andrea Leone,
Marco Perego,
Leonardo Maria del Vecchio,
Gary Farkas,
Carlo Salem,
Andrea Bucko