Choking Man - 2006

I discovered this obscure, independent film at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006 and I thought it was an excellent depiction of characters who seemed so real-to-life. It gave an interesting view of the ethnic varieties that make-up the New York landscape as America is suffocating Jorge (Octavio Gómez), a shy Ecuadorian dishwasher in a shabby Queens diner.


When Jorge isn't being tormented by his co-worker Jerry (Aaron Paul), Jorge tries in vain to forge a bond with newly hired Chinese waitress Amy (Eugenia Yuan). Steven Soderbergh called writer-director Steve Barron's intimate drama "everything an independent film should be." Mandy Patinkin also co-stars as diner owner Rick. If you give this film a chance you'll find the intimate portrait and feelings of the characters so very well put together. It's a slice of real-life.


This film is available for streaming or DVD via NetFlix. Choking Man is an intense blend of psychological drama and magical realism that encapsulates the contemporary immigrant experience in America. Jorge (Octavio Gómez Berríos) is a morbidly shy Ecuadorian dishwasher toiling away in a shabby Jamaica, Queens, New York diner run by Rick (Mandy Patinkin). He works all day long in the shadow of the ever-present Heimlich Maneuver instruction poster which hangs in the diner kitchen. From his solitary kitchen corner, Jorge gropes mutely for a bond with Amy (Eugenia Yuan), the newly hired Chinese waitress and even though she tries to reciprocate, the gulf that separates them may be too large. On the job he is continually tormented by his coworker Jerry (Aaron Paul) and at home in his Harlem boarding, under the psychological control of his late uncle, who was truly like a father to him. His uncle was described as being the only caring person in Jorge's life. he battles his inner demons. Set in the vicinity of JFK airport, the most culturally diverse neighborhood in the world, Choking Man captures the feeling of claustrophobia and almost literal asphyxiation newcomers to America experience as they struggle to find a place and purpose in this strange land.


It received the "Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You Award" at the 16th Annual Gotham Awards in 2006.


It WON "Best Director", "Best Newcomers" Octavio Gómez Berríos & Eugenia Yuan, "Best Soundtrack" Nico Muhly, Special Jury Award at The Ibiza International Film Festival in 2007.