Heavy Traffic (1973)

In the captivating blend of animation and live-action that is Heavy Traffic, we follow the journey of a solitary white dropout, navigating the gritty underbelly of his reality to fuel his creative passions. In a shabby apartment that he shares with his eccentric parents - a boorishly uncouth Italian father and a wildly quirky Jewish mother - he painstakingly crafts comics and animations, striving to breathe life into the harsh world that surrounds him. His friends, a hypocritical clique involved with violent gangs, the Italian Mafia, and a superficial black girl caught in the whirlpool of downtown pimps and pushers, scorn his ambitions. Their derision, however, only serves as more fodder for his art, adding layers of realism to his work. Opportunity knocks on the cartoonist's door when he gets a chance to pitch his outrageous film concept to a movie mogul. His idea, a dystopian future Earth ravaged by war and pollution, centres around a mutant antihero who dares to challenge and defeat God. But the plot is too audacious, too far-fetched for the mogul's taste. As the cartoonist's life intertwines with his art, his parents' irrational reactions to his diverse engagements further complicate his path. Heavy Traffic is a riveting exploration of the struggles of creativity, the harsh realities of life, and the blurred lines between the artist and his art.

Heavy Traffic is an animation movie featuring Joseph Kaufmann.

It is possible to buy Heavy Traffic on Apple TV.