‘En El Séptimo Dia’ Trailer: Jim McKay’s Return to Indie Cinema Is a Timely Immigrant Story — Watch

Jim McKay‘s first feature film in over a decade takes a slice of life approach to a timely subject: the lives, hopes, dreams, and daily existences of undocumented immigrants in Brooklyn, all playing out over the course of seven days. “En El Séptimo Dia” (“On the Seventh Day”) follows a group of bicycle delivery guys, construction workers, dishwashers, deli workers, and cotton candy vendors, all of whom work six days a week and look forward to their seventh day — a Sunday spent on the soccer fields of Sunset Park.

McKay’s film centers on team captain José, whose initial joy over getting into the final round of a big tournament is thrown for a loop when his boss tells him he needs to work on that pivotal Sunday. It’s a no-win situation, and McKay and his cast handle it with grace and generosity. Shot in the neighborhoods of Sunset Park, Park Slope, and Gowanus, the film went on to screen at BAMcinemaFest, Locarno, and Vancouver.

In Eric Kohn’s IndieWire review of the film from last year, he wrote that the film “combines a simple premise with profound concerns… it harkens back to classic neorealist traditions by providing a window into the everyday challenges of a lower-class existence all too often ignored in mainstream cinema. At the same time, it positions the drama as a feel-good crowdpleaser, a rousing sports movie about characters trapped by their surroundings and galvanized by their communal spirit.”

Check out our exclusive trailer and poster for “En El Séptimo Dia” below.

“En El Séptimo Dia” will open in limited release in New York City on June 8 and Los Angeles on June 15.

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