A Poet Rediscovered: Willem Dafoe Leads Kent Jones’ “Late Fame,” Opening August 7
The acclaimed Venice premiere, adapted from an Arthur Schnitzler novella by May December writer Samy Burch, brings a wry, wistful tale of art and ego to New York theaters.
Some of the most rewarding films are the quiet, grown-up ones, and Late Fame looks like a prime example. Magnolia Pictures opens Kent Jones’ acclaimed drama in New York on August 7, 2026, with Los Angeles to follow on August 14 and additional cities after that. Anchored by a much-praised Willem Dafoe performance and a sharp script with real literary roots, this is exactly the kind of thoughtful indie I love to see get a proper theatrical run.
A Second Act, For Better or Worse
The premise is a beautifully bittersweet hook. Ed Saxberger, played by Dafoe, is a once-revered New York poet whose single, long-ago collection went largely unnoticed and who now lives a quiet life working at the post office and shooting pool with blue-collar pals. That changes when an eager, flattering young admirer, played by Edmund Donovan, turns up on his doorstep and draws him into a coterie of twentysomething creatives, a self-styled literary salon who anoint him a rediscovered genius.
Intoxicated by the attention, and by the alluring presence of Gloria, the group’s self-appointed “tragic heroine,” played by Past Lives breakout Greta Lee, Saxberger gradually reckons with the authenticity of his newfound poetic circle. Critics out of its festival run have praised Late Fame as a wistful yet unromantic look at a lost idea of downtown New York, finding a rare sweet spot between caustic and elegiac as it skewers the pretensions of its young salon while taking its aging hero’s rekindled passion seriously.
A Pedigree Worth Noting
Here is the context that should put Late Fame on your radar. It is the second narrative feature from Kent Jones, the esteemed critic and former New York Film Festival director who made the documentary Hitchcock/Truffaut and the acclaimed 2018 drama Diane. The screenplay comes from Samy Burch, the Oscar-nominated writer of May December, bringing her signature biting wit, and adapts a posthumously published novella by Austrian author Arthur Schnitzler, the same writer whose work inspired Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. Jones transposes Schnitzler’s original Vienna setting to lower Manhattan, and reviewers have singled out the film as one of the city’s most photogenic screen appearances in years.
The film premiered in the Orizzonti section of the 2025 Venice International Film Festival and went on to play the New York Film Festival and others, with Dafoe’s turn drawing early awards-season buzz. It is a Killer Films production, from prolific producers Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon, with Martin Scorsese among the executive producers.
Watch the Trailer
The official trailer is out ahead of the release, capturing the film’s old-New-York mood, set in part to Lou Reed’s “Charley’s Girl.”
Where and When to Watch
Here is the rollout.
- New York: opens August 7, 2026 (Film Forum)
- Los Angeles: opens August 14, 2026
- Expanding: additional cities to follow
- Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
The Vitals
The quick-scan version.
| Title | Late Fame |
| Directed by | Kent Jones |
| Written by | Samy Burch |
| Based on | the novella by Arthur Schnitzler |
| Starring | Willem Dafoe, Greta Lee, Edmund Donovan |
| Produced by | Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon (Killer Films), and others |
| Distributor | Magnolia Pictures |
| Premiere | 2025 Venice International Film Festival (Orizzonti) |
| Runtime | 96 minutes |
| New York opening | August 7, 2026 |
| Learn more | Wikipedia and Metacritic |
The Synopsis
Legendary New York poet Ed Saxberger’s forgotten works captivate an eccentric group of young creatives, reigniting his artistic passion. Their intrigue intertwines with the bewitching presence of actress Gloria. Adapted from Arthur Schnitzler’s novella and relocated to contemporary lower Manhattan, Late Fame follows Saxberger as he is intoxicated by sudden adulation and the world of a self-styled literary salon, gradually reckoning with the authenticity, and the motives, of his newfound circle.
Where It Stands
Late Fame arrives in theaters with festival goodwill, a literary pedigree, and a Willem Dafoe performance the critics cannot stop praising. As a wry, melancholy meditation on art, ego, and second chances, it is one of the more rewarding specialty releases of the late summer. I will have a fuller AndersonVision look as the film expands beyond New York and Los Angeles. For now, it is well worth seeking out on the big screen.
