On a March night in 1964, 37 neighbors in Queens, New York, witness the brutal murder of Kitty Genovese. None of them takes action or calls the police. 37 tells the story of a few of these people and what led up to the night when they unexplainably remained passive observers. The film is a convincing portrayal of a borough in change and a time characterized by racism, the Civil Rights Movement and political shifts. The actual event that inspired the film’s plot has been called a symbol for the moment when America lost its innocence. The director Puk Grasten skillfully weaves into her feature film debut various fates, dreams and family conflicts by leading us through an apartment building that comes to bear a collective failure.
Direction
Grasten's debut squeezes dread from hallways and fire escapes.
Production
1964 Queens recreated as suffocating maze of missed connections.
Director
Puk Grasten
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The '38 witnesses' myth was later debunked — police records showed far fewer actually saw anything, and some did call for help.
The 'Genovese syndrome' became pop-psychology shorthand for urban alienation, though researchers now argue the original reporting was sensationalized to sell papers.
DK
US
