Over the course of a single night in New York City, a collection of migrants, sex workers, dreamers and survivors move through the city's digital underbelly, all searching for connection in a world that keeps them at its margins. From lonely video game server rooms to lip-filler beauty parlors, these non-actor subjects hustle and hope their way through an urban landscape that is at once indifferent and electric. Anchored by a dialed-in original soundtrack of internet-fried underground NYC music from BBY Goyard, Harto Falión, and Madge and spiritual jazz from Nate Mercereau and Carlos Niño, the film pulses with a rhythm that is unmistakably, defiantly New York.

Using the language of neo-realism and documentary, director Joshua Z Weinstein constructs something rare: a real-life dystopian epic that never loses sight of its humanity. The characters are vivid and varied, their stories ranging from desperate to joyous, and the cumulative effect is unforgettable. Raw and unpolished in the best possible sense, Here I’m Alive announces itself as one of the most singular New York films in recent memory. If you love this city, its underdogs and the kind of filmmaking that refuses to look away, this one is not to be missed.—Jarod Neece