Mikey and Nicky
Elaine May · 1976
Elaine May’s 1976 film follows two Philadelphia men—a desperate mob associate and his loyal friend—over one fractured night. Built around John Cassavetes and Peter Falk’s physically exacting performances, it uses repetition, silence, and unvarnished realism to trace the erosion of intimacy under pressure. Shot over 110 nights and edited for nearly two years, it resists genre expectations to focus on gesture, memory, and the labour of sustaining a relationship neither man fully understands.
