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A film about finding the path that sets you free, Maureen Foley’s delicately nuanced AMERICAN WAKE tells the parallel stories of a fireman and a musician, both discovering the difference between what’s expected of them and the men they really are.
Jack (Billy Smith) has fulfilled the dream of his late father, a Boston cop, by becoming a distinguished firefighter and a hero. But now, in the aftermath of a blaze in which he saved two people but lost his best friend in the department, he is struggling to make sense of his life. Then he meets Noy (Elaine Qualter), a Thai girl who wants to break free from her repressive family, and his feelings for her ignite in him the courage to lay claim to his own future.
Then there is Niall (Sam Amidon), a stunningly talented young fiddler. His father (Brian Delate) harbors the hope that his son will accompany him back to Ireland -- a homeland Niall barely remembers -- to claim his place in a long line of elite Irish musicians. But their close relationship is threatened by Niall’s secret pursuit of a new musical path with his own kind of music, his own band (portrayed by the acclaimed quartet Assembly), and a bumpy relationship with Ava (Anastasia Barnes), an artist with a propensity to party.
For both Jack and Niall to change their lives, they must choose what to keep and what to leave behind, and learn that with every leap of faith comes both sorrow and joy.
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