JIFF: Paper Tiger

This film is also showing at our sister cinemas, Lido Cinemas and Ritz Cinemas

Paper Tiger

“...a Jewish-American tragedy in a teapot that is both sweepingly mythic and hauntingly personal all at once.” – IndieWire

Premiering to instant acclaim at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, James Gray’s remarkably taut and electrifying family drama centres on a Jewish family in pursuit of the American Dream who find themselves embroiled with the Russian mafia.

We meet the Pearl family – Irving (Miles Teller), Hester (Scarlett Johansson) and their two boys – in the summer of 1986. Irving, an engineer, is facing financial pressure from all sides: Hester wants an easier life and his eldest son wants a lavish 18th birthday party. When Irving’s ex-cop brother Gary (Adam Driver) arrives on the scene and pitches a spurious get-rich-quick scheme, Irving takes the bait, but soon discovers that he’s put the people he loves most in a life-threatening predicament.

Shot on celluloid and infused with a slow-burn tension that builds to an almost unbearable climax, Paper Tiger is both a portrait of a Jewish-American family and a heart-racing thriller about how aspiration can push well-meaning people into dangerous places.

Festival Appearances/Awards
Cannes Film Festival 2026 – Official Selection

Rating

Unclassified 15+

Duration

115 min

Country

United States

Language

English

Cast

Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Miles Teller

Director

James Gray