Set in 1981 in New York City, the visually charged short film “Money Talk$” unfolds in the brutal, turbulent heart of the most violent year in the Big Apple’s history. Director and co-writer Tony Mucci captures a moment in time with a simple premise that he takes in wildly different directions. This is a very New York movie, featuring an authentically diverse cast and real-world dialogue that evokes the era with an energetic precision.
The film follows a single $100 bill as it changes hands, connecting a series of strangers. Acting as both the main character and the narrative thread, the bill weaves through a series of intertwined stories set against the gritty, chaotic backdrop of the city. Some of the vignettes are stronger than others, but the central gimmick never feels like an empty exercise. Mucci takes it deeper and explores the universal truths about how money binds us, exposes our values, and dictates our role in the larger human machine. The lives of characters intersect in fleeting yet consequential moments, each made all the more compelling by the film’s evocative imagery and haunting sense of place. This is a story about how money connects strangers in ways that are sometimes dark, sometimes desperate, but always fascinating.
Despite a couple of showy stylistic choices that occasionally border on distracting, the direction is mostly strong. Mucci is a filmmaker with a clear passion for and understanding of the language of cinema, and his short film is visually polished with the period details effectively realized. Story-wise, he (along with co-writer David Mazouz) captures the extremes of rampant capitalism and moral ambiguity at the dawn of Reagan’s America and the growing “greed is good” mentality.
With its evocative imagery that explores the streets of a chaotic, dangerous, retro New York City, “Money Talk$” gives a raw look at how our lives can collide in unexpected ways thanks to the cash we pass between us.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 