What makes New York City so extraordinary? Musicians, artists, authors, poets, filmmakers and more have labored over this question since the city’s birth. Billy Joel answered it when he sang, “It comes down to reality / and it’s fine with me ’cause I’ve let it slide … I’m in a New York state of mind,” but these words alone are only broad strokes, a glimpse into the altered reality Joel is referencing. So how can one experience the uniqueness of New York City without ever visiting? Luckily for us, Martin Scorsese has the solution: his film “After Hours.”

  Taking place over the course of one evening, “After Hours” masterfully presents a mystical reality only found in New York City. Griffin Dunne stars as word processor Paul Hackett, whose typical, monotonous workday and lonely home life are jolted one evening in 1985 SoHo. Paul’s everyday life is representative of so many lone New Yorkers who go about their nine to five jobs, uninterested or fatigued, yearning for some fulfillment or excitement in their day. Paul’s wish is granted when he meets Marcy. But be careful what you wish for. Marcy strikes up a conversation with Paul, asking him to come to her friend’s loft in SoHo to buy her art. Once Paul is in SoHo, he has officially left behind his straight-edged reality and is in the mysterious, thrilling and often confounding streets of New York.

  The characters Paul meets in “After Hours” perfectly convey the spirit of New York. They may be exaggeratedly zany, but New Yorkers are eccentric. Famous figures like The Naked Cowboy are spectacles for tourists to see, but there are millions in New York who each have their own schtick. Paul meets quirky characters like Julie, who has an outdated beehive haircut and sketches everyone she meets, and Kiki, who makes plaster of Paris bagel and cream cheese paperweights. People like them add a charm to the city that would otherwise be missing. What would Pugsley’s be without Sal’s saxophone playing? 

  Though the characters Paul meets may at first have seemingly innocent quirks, many push Paul to the edge, who is desperate to return home. From unintentionally causing a death to being chased by an angry mob, Paul’s night in SoHo is defined by the many misadventures he experiences. There will be a moment, if not many, when you are in New York and feel just as Paul does, full of anguish and desperation, just wanting the night to be over. But accepting and overcoming the hardships you’ll face in New York is the first step in calling New York City home. Though I hope you will not be closely confronted with death or have a mob chanting for your capture, trouble will find you in New York in ways you would never expect. But as a New Yorker, you must conquer these problems, no matter how daunting. And when you do, you’ll be connected to other New Yorkers who have overcome their own struggles. A “New York State of Mind” is defined by truly believing that anything is possible because you have seen it firsthand and know the resiliency needed to thrive. 

  Alternatively, there is nothing like the unique generosity you will experience in New York. Tom, the bartender, lends Paul his keys to his apartment to get subway fare, Julie invites Paul into her apartment so he doesn’t wait out in the rain and the cashier at the diner doesn’t let Paul pay for his coffee, saying, “What the hell. Different rules apply when it gets this late. You know what I mean? It’s like after hours.” This “after hours” the cashier refers to is the same lost reality that Joel sings about and Scorsese presents. In New York, part of the reality everyone enters is greatly defined by the generous lengths strangers will go to lend a helping hand.

  The most important thing to note about “After Hours” is that this mysterious energy is only visible at night. The city is beautiful during the day, but there is a different, unmatched energy of New York after hours. Bright reds and yellows accent the landscape of SoHo and the characters in “After Hours” amidst a blue-tinted luminescent night. These various components create an ambiance that is impossible to put into words; a sense of wonder, curiosity and fascination courses through your body. Paul’s workday, and even his leisure time at home, are bland and uninteresting. It is only when night falls that the excitement begins. The anticipation of New York is what lures Paul to venture into the dark streets of SoHo and still attracts millions to New York City time and time again.