In 1960s Bronx, teenager Calogero is drawn to local mob boss Sonny, who becomes an unlikely mentor. Torn between his father’s values and the pull of street life, Calogero navigates loyalty, violence, and first love.

Rose-tinted nostalgia collides with hardbitten realities in Robert De Niro’s stylish and sensitive ‘60s-set directorial debut, a knotty morality play in the well-tailored clothes of a mobster flick. Coming of age on the cusp of change, a boy’s divided loyalties reflect a struggle for America’s soul.