Artist in Person

Arising from Nilsson's efforts with the acting workshop he founded, the Tenderloin yGroup, Stroke is a powerful no-budget tale centered on the debilitating stroke suffered by an aging Beat poet, Phil Berkowitz. Working from a story outline by Nilsson, the cast, some of whom have been homeless, improvised and developed their dialogue, at times drawing on their own experiences, but not playing themselves. Described by Variety as "closer in spirit to Shirley Clarke's 1961 The Connection than to the 1998 Dogme pic The Celebration...this (is a) punishingly real look at the homeless and hopeless." When Phil is left with both his mobility and speech impaired, his close friend Johnny tries to help. Their downward spiral, from residence hotel to the streets, from odd jobs to illicit acts, uncoils in a marginal side of San Francisco populated by strip clubs, warehouses, and bleak coffee shops. Amidst the increasing sense of desperation, intimate moments of friendship provide humor and connection. Note: The central characters from Stroke intersect the narrative of Scheme C6; both works are part of the 9 @ Night series of interconnected films whose narratives begin at 9 p.m.