Buy a subscription today and save an extra 10%. Use coupon code "TODAY10" at checkout.
Home   »   Film-of-the-Month Club   »   Our Films   »   CHOKING MAN

CHOKING MAN

Directed by Steve Barron
CHOKING MAN DVD & Online Streaming
Member Pricing
DVD+Stream $14.95 $9.95
Stream-Only $2.99 $1.99
Non-Member Pricing
DVD+Stream $24.95 $14.95
Stream-Only $3.99 $2.99
PURCHASE DVD+STREAM »PURCHASE STREAM-ONLY »

Synopsis

Jorge is a morbidly shy Ecuadorian dishwasher toiling away in a shabby diner in Queens, New York. From his solitary kitchen corner, Jorge quietly attempts to forge a bond with Amy, the newly hired Chinese waitress. Even though she tries to reciprocate, the gulf that separates them may be too large. On the job he is continually tormented by a coworker, and at home in his Harlem apartment, under the psychological control of his domineering "roommate," he battles his inner demons. 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.

You Might Also Like

EL BOLA
Directed by Achero Manas
YEAR 1 FILM 1
Pablo is a 12-year old boy raised in a violent and unforgiving environment. Embarrassed by his family life, he retreats from his classmates, engaging them only through a dangerous game. The arrival of a new boy at school, from whom he learns a new definition of friendship, leads to the discovery of a family where communication and love prevail over domination and violence. The film poignantly parallels the lives of a caring father unable to connect with his willful son, and that of distant Pablo and his abusive father who is incapable of giving him the love he needs, replacing it with something far more sinister. Told through both the children's and adults' points of view, El Bola is a stirring story that lodges in the memory.
MORE INFO »
OT: OUR TOWN
Directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy
YEAR 1 FILM 8
Against all odds, the first theatrical production in over 20 years at Dominguez High School is going to be Thorton Wilder's American classic Our Town. The kids at this Compton school are about to experience more than a culture clash, as they embark on a rich journey and discover the educational and social value of theater. OT: Our Town tells the story of human spirit and its strength against the stereotypes holding them down. Where Thorton Wilder wrote about about little Grover's Corners, this documentary exemplifies how Our Town is every town. Our Town is Compton.
MORE INFO »
AUGUST THE FIRST
Directed by Lanre Olabisi
YEAR 6 FILM 3
It is the morning of Tunde's graduation party and things have already begun to unravel. Tunde has managed to alienate his sister, Simisola. His older brother, Ade, persistently plagues him with criticism, and their mother has started drinking again. Unbeknownst to most, Tunde has orchestrated the return of his long estranged father, resurrecting unresolved family anguish against the backdrop of Tunde's celebration. As the day turns to night, old wounds are re-opened and bad habits are revived. Layer by layer, deception and half-truths are peeled away as secrets are uncovered in what will be become the most unforgettable day the family has ever experienced.
MORE INFO »
LAKE TAHOE
Directed by Fernando Eimbcke
YEAR 7 FILM 3
Teenage Juan crashes his family's car into a telegraph pole on the outskirts of town, and then scours the streets searching for someone to help him fix it. His quest will bring him to Don Heber, an old paranoid mechanic whose only companion is Sica, his almost human boxer dog; to Luc�a, a young mother who is convinced that her real place in life is as a lead singer in a punk band, and to "The One who Knows", a teenage mechanic obsessed with martial arts and Kung Fu philosophy.  The absurd and bewildering worlds of these characters drag Juan into a one day journey in which he will come to accept what he was escaping from in the first place--an event both as natural and inexplicable as a loved one's death.
MORE INFO »
SOMERS TOWN
Directed by Shane Meadows
YEAR 7 FILM 8
From the director (Shane Meadows) and star (Thomas Turgoose) of THIS IS ENGLAND comes this wry and captivating coming of age tale. Two teenagers, both newcomers to London, forge an unlikely friendship over the course of a hot summer. Tomo (Thomas Turgoose) is a runaway from Nottingham; Marek (Piotr Jagiello), a Polish immigrant, lives in the district of Somers Town, between King's Cross and Euston stations, where his dad is working on a new rail link. Marek lets homeless Tomo move into his room, unbeknownst to his father. The pair forms a hilarious bond, as they work odd jobs for an eccentric neighbor and compete for the attention of Maria, a beautiful young French waitress with whom they are both infatuated. But it's only a matter of time before Marek's dad discovers what's going on...
MORE INFO »
BEFORE YOUR EYES
Directed by Miraz Bezar
YEAR 9 FILM 8
Ten year old Gulistan and her brother Firat live in the heart of Turkish Kurdistan. Tragedy strikes when their parents are shot down by paramilitary gunmen before their very eyes. Traumatized and orphaned, Gulistan and Firat try to care for their infant sister, but their money soon runs out and they're forced onto the street. It is there that Gulistan meets the part-time escort Dilara. Accompanying her on a hotel call one day, Gulistan is shocked to discover Dilara's client is the murderer of her parents, and quickly devises a plan for revenge.
MORE INFO »

Editorial Reviews

"…a drama blending fantasy and reality in its depiction of one man's inner demons."

--Mike Goodridge/ Screen Daily - Review

"…escapes into a variety of alternate environments, from a hidey-hole behind a fence to an animated rabbit's sunshiny yellow milieu.  Barron executes all the hard stuff remarkably well…Barron's camera bestows the film's main Gotham locale… with an almost mythical, microcosmic dimension."

--Ronnie Scheib/ Variety - Review

Write a review »

Customer Reviews


Jeff in Seattle - Customer Review
Choking Man is an OK film about a shy dishwasher with affections for a newly hired waitress. But when the restaurant's cook shows an interest in the waitress and she responds somewhat positively to the interest, the dishwasher feels insulted and decides to do something about it. It is just an OK plot.

Photos

Click photo to enlarge. Then copy as you would any online image.
Amy (Eugenia Yuan), Jerry (Aaron Paul) and Teri (Kate Buddeke)
Amy (Eugenia Yuan) and Jerry (Aaron Paul)
Amy (Eugenia Yuan)
Rick (Mandy Patinkin)
Jorge (Octavio Gómez Berríos)
Director/ Producer Steve Barron and actor Octavio Gómez Berríos
Choking Man poster (hi res)

Press

Discussion Guides