The Cinematic Afterlife of Mort Rifkin: A Reflection on "Rifkin's Festival"
Mort’s journey is not one of growth in the traditional sense, but of reckoning. His inability to find joy in "pedestrian amusements" or modern superhero spectacles has left him in a state of self-inflicted isolation. He is a man who "reads the same books, listens to the same music, and sees the same movies over and over again," essentially living in a museum of his own making. A Love Letter to Classic Cinema Rifkin's Festival is a Love Letter to Art Films Rifkin's Festival
Mort Rifkin is a quintessential "Allen-esque" archetype: a New York Jewish intellectual who feels increasingly alienated by a world that has moved on from the European masters he idolizes. He accompanies his publicist wife, Sue (Gina Gershon), to the festival, only to watch her fall for a "hotshot" French director, Philippe (Louis Garrel), whom Mort views as a pretentious lightweight. The Cinematic Afterlife of Mort Rifkin: A Reflection