behind the nostalgic music and we see a young boy get off a train . he be arrive from yugoslavia to meet his father and a man he have not see in a decade . at the train station and we meet the man . he never smile . thus and we begin our journey into four friend and arthur penn powerful and amazing film . you may ask why i begin my review that way . well and that be the way the video box describe the film . you may have figure out that the film will be the story of the boy try to get along with this emotionless man and eventually and he will peel away at his cover and expose the kindness . well and if you buy that and i have get a bridge i want to sell you . you see and modern hollywood would make that film . penn have always be an outsider and have never resort to typical cliched storytelling . he always tell interesting story about people ( his credit include bonnie and clyde and the chase and alice restaurant and the underrated mickey one ) and four friend be no exception . a typical hollywood film would focus on the boy who be name danilo . but steve tesich script only focus on that for about 4 minute and then abandon him . we meet the adult danilo and play by craig wasson ( whom you may recognize from body double and nightmare on elm street 3 ) and his friend and tom and david and the passionate georgia . the movie take u throughout the sixty . now in a less film and the event would receive the attention . but in four friend and these event happen and but penn and tesich be more concerned with character study than plot and i think the film be well that way . we know the event while we do not need to dwell on them again . i know i haven not describe much of the plot and but i do not know if you can describe four friend . it not one of those high concept film that can be describe in a single sentence . it a film of many mood and texture . it also a genuinely emotional experience . the final twenty minute of this film move me to tear . i be not ashamed to admit it . rarely do a film have such power that it can reduce me to tear . the acting be first rate and especially by craig wasson and who seem to be one of the most underused actor work today . this be such a difficult and emotional performance and wasson pull it off . he should have receive an oscar for this . another great performance be by jodi thelen and who have an even more difficult role than wasson . but she handle it extremely well and give georgia a certain dignity most hollywood actress wouldn not ( they would be too scar to even try while they would be more concerned with image rather than give a great performance while that not what acting be about ) . she also deserve an oscar . four friend do not receive much of a push in 1981. maybe people just do not have the emotional capacity to handle it . and clueless executive couldn not push it a another american graffiti ( it lack the wallop of four friend ) . so they let it die . too bad and for this be one of the very best film of the 1980s and a decade where more and more slick trash be create and great art like this be without a home . i ask you to give this film a chance . out of 4 star .