19 MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN

Director: Edward Norton

A labour of love for the director, who also stars, this labyrinthine adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s novel explores corruption and murder in 1950s New York; an era of urban development, institutionalised racism and hot jazz. A strong supporting cast – Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe, Bruce Willis – add texture, while Norton, despite the historical setting, finds contemporary resonances.