James Hillmeyer

The Cheese Man James Hillmeyer

The four young men hanging out on a street in New York's Spanish Harlem are not a gang, just close buddies idling away their days one summer. They view themselves as gate-keepers of their little piece of sidewalk turf, but become jealous of the mysterious stranger who moves in across the street. They have decided he does not belong, but aren't sure what to do about it. Meanwhile, they must contend in a real way with someone they despise: Nick, the superintendent of the building where Ramon lives with his mother, Angela. Nick's desire for her becomes obsessive, while Ramon's hatred of Nick simmers. The uncertainties of the enigmatic stranger and unpredictable Nick linger; meanwhile, the four guys begin to take a hard look at just who they, themselves, are, and where they are going with their lives. Their idleness begins to drive them in new directions of self-awareness, while the hostility with an increasingly dangerous Nick must first be met head-on; and the stranger across the street proves to be more than a distraction.