Minyan was adapted from an award-winning short story by filmmaker David Bezmozgis. It was directed by Eric Steel and this marks his first narrative feature, which takes place in the 1980s in New York’s gay scene in the era of the emerging AIDS crisis and Brighton Beach’s bustling Jewish community.
The movie centers around 17-year-old David (Samuel H. Levine), who is the son of Russian immigrant parents. David’s coming-of-age is inspired by his budding relationship with a handsome East Village bartender, as well as his friendship with an elderly gay Jewish couple in his building that might find themselves on the wrong end of the Jewish community’s strict rules.
Alex Hurt, who earned a 2020 Daytime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Digital Drama Series” for his acting work in the digital series The Rehearsal, plays the role of Bruno in this movie.
Minyan is a revelatory exploration of family, tradition, as well as the occasional need to break free from both.
To learn more about the film Minyan, check out the Outfest website, and its IMDb page.
Read More: Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos chatted with Alex Hurt back in May of 2020 about his Emmy nod.
