Little Odessa

Joshua Shapira returns to Brighton Beach after years away, not to reunite but to take on a contract that ties him to the Russian mob. He left his first kill behind with a vow to stay clean, yet the old life keeps tugging at him. A room in a seaside hotel becomes his quiet base, while neighbors sense something dangerous has slipped back into the building. His father, Arkady, brutal and controlling, once banished him for his violence, and their estrangement lingers in every tense glance. Joshua visits his ailing mother Irina, a stop that makes the past feel close. As the hit nears, he finds himself orbiting the same dangerous world he hoped to escape, with costly consequences there.

Released in 1994, Little Odessa marks James Gray's feature debut. Gray directed from an original screenplay, bringing an intimate crime drama to screen. The cast blends Tim Roth, Edward Furlong, Moira Kelly, Vanessa Redgrave, and Paul Guilfoyle in a tale.

Little Odessa helped establish James Gray's austere, character driven style that blends family tension with crime noir. Its muted palette and restrained performances, especially Roth's volatile Joshua and Furlong's haunted Reuben, influenced later indie dramas exploring immigrant life and the costs of loyalty in a tight knit urban world today.

Critics greeted the debut with cautious praise for atmosphere and performances, noting Gray's ability to fuse intimate family drama with a hard edged crime story. The film probes the pull of home against a violent past, the burden of legacy, and how love can survive only by distance for viewers.

Box office: the movie had a limited release and earned only modest sums, reflecting its status as an early festival favored indie. Still, its critical reception helped launch James Gray's career and drew attention to Brighton Beach as a setting.