Adam Sandler and Uncut Gems filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie have reunited for a new short film, Goldman v Silverman, about a turf war between two street performers.
The six-minute project recaptures some of the gritty, frenetic New York aesthetic that defined Uncut Gems, although here it’s used in a far sillier way. Sandler and Benny Safdie star as the titular Goldman and Silverman, two Times Square street performers who do a robot act while dressed and painted in their respective colors.
The short opens with Goldman going about his business when Silverman strolls up and starts making fun of his act. Goldman gets in Silverman’s face and pushes him to another block. Goldman can’t shake the threat, though, and decides to go after Silverman with a can of gold spray paint, forcing him out of Times Square completely.
The aftermath of this harrowing street battle involves chilling moments of introspection for both men: Goldman is forced to confront himself in a dirty bathroom mirror, while an exhausted Silverman returns to his home which, for whatever reason, seems to be the back of a truck.
On Twitter, the Safdie Brothers said they were trying to organize select screenings of Goldman v Silverman in theaters that are showing Uncut Gems on 35mm. At the moment, the short will definitely be playing at Metrograph in New York this weekend.
Uncut Gems was released last year and received heaps of praise, especially for Sandler, who was touted as a likely candidate for Best Actor at the Oscars. Sandler, however, was ultimately left out of the category, an omission Rolling Stone called one of the Academy’s most egregious snubs this year.
