Lefty: Memories of a Dead One in Brooklyn 1978

Synopsis: A German film crew for station NDR [Norddeutscher Rundfunk] picked the perfect time to visit New York City for their street gang documentary, LEFTY - ERINNERUNG AN EINEN TOTEN IN BROOKLYN, as the area sweltered through a brutal summer heatwave and the infamous 1977 blackout. For five weeks, director Max H. Rehbein and his crew actually lived in the basement of a Brooklyn house owned by the parents of 'Brother Lou' [Louie Morales], the leader of 'The Sex Boys' (named after the street they hung out on, Essex -- after dropping the first two letters), filming many of that gang's most private moments. 'Lefty' [Charles 'Carlos' Valentine] is the latest 'Sex Boys' casualty, first glimpsed in the Kings County morgue after being stabbed to death near Greenpoint's McCarren Pool. Tempers within the gang are running hot, with Lou trying to keep his soldiers under control. The filmmakers follow them as they strut past razed buildings in their gang colors, leap subway turnstiles, convene a rooftop gang meeting, share brews and joints, perform some general vandalism, and celebrate Lefty's truncated life with street fireworks.

Directed by Max H. Rehbein

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