Liberty Heights

Set in Baltimore in 1954, Liberty Heights follows the Kurtzman family, Jewish residents of a suburban neighbourhood, as the city around them begins to change. Teenager Ben finishes high school and forms a friendship with Sylvia, a Black classmate, whose father disapproves of the relationship. His older brother Van, already at college, becomes involved with a woman from a wealthier background, while their father struggles to keep his burlesque business afloat.

Barry Levinson wrote and directed the film, his sixteenth in a directing career that by then included Sphere, released the previous year, and would continue with Bandits. The cast includes Adrien Brody as Van, Ben Foster as Ben, Joe Mantegna and Bebe Neuwirth as their parents, and Orlando Jones. The film is semi-autobiographical, drawing on the director's own youth in Baltimore, the setting of several of his earlier works.

Liberty Heights took about 4 million dollars worldwide against a wide release, a modest result. On IMDb it holds 7 out of 10 from roughly 7,300 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.7 out of 10 from a much smaller sample of 81 votes. A critics' rating of 7.4 out of 10 from 50 reviews places it somewhat above the audience scores.