Mister Buddwing

The narrative is set in a contemporary New York of the 1960s, a time of social change and cinematic experimentation. The urban rhythms—street life, nightlife, and public spaces—frame a mind-bending drama about memory and self. The setting underscores a culture of urban exploration and personal reinvention.

The story unfolds across Manhattan and its surrounding neighborhoods, with Central Park and Washington Square serving as focal points for Buddwing's shifting identities. The city acts as a crowded, anonymous stage where memory and fantasy collide. Key scenes move from park benches to bridges and Harlem, reflecting the era's urban texture and mood.

🧠 Identity

Buddwing's mind is a blank canvas that receives a succession of identities, each reflecting a fragment of a life he cannot fully name. The film probes how memory, perception, and circumstance shape who we believe ourselves to be. As the day unfolds, the line between true self and performed roles blurs, revealing a fragile core.

⏳ Memory

Memory drives the narrative as a mosaic of flashbacks and present-day misrecognitions. The protagonist relives versions of his past—romantic partners, ambitions, and moments of crisis—that never fully cohere. The city acts as a conduit for recollection, with each remembered moment altering his present choices.

💔 Love and Loss

The relationships Buddwing encounters—Janet, Fiddle, and Grace—are prisms that reveal longing, regret, and the costs of a life built on fantasies. The film ties romantic desire to material abundance and alienation, showing how love can fracture under pressure and memory. The ultimate revelation deepens the tragedy: the past casualties echo into the present.