Rooftops of New York

Robert McCarty takes his camera up high to look down on the roof tops of New York, to watch vignettes unfold. A modest voice-over narration invites us to see the city and the habits of its residents from a new vantage. For example, a portly gentleman goes to his roof top to exercise, working up a sweat with calisthenics and a jump rope. The camera cuts away from him, and comes back every few minutes to watch his progress. By the end, he sits down to consume a huge picnic lunch. In other vignettes, women sunbathe, lovers meet, children play, gardeners potter, laundry dries – an entire set of social events takes place out of sight of all but McCarty and his bird’s eye view.