Overview
Based on the Depression-era bildungsroman memoir of writer A. E. Hotchner, the film follows the story of a boy struggling to survive on his own in a hotel in St. Louis after his mother is committed to a sanatorium with tuberculosis. His father, a German immigrant and traveling salesman working for the Hamilton Watch Company, is off on long trips from which the boy cannot be certain he will return.
Trailer
Crew
DirectorSteven Soderbergh
WriterSteven Soderbergh
Cast
Jesse Bradford
Aaron Kurlander
Jeroen Krabbé
Mr. Kurlander
Lisa Eichhorn
Mrs. Kurlander
Karen Allen
Miss Mathey
Spalding Gray
Mr. Mungo
Elizabeth McGovern
Lydia
Cameron Boyd
Sullivan
Adrien Brody
Lester
Joe Chrest
Ben
John McConnell
Patrolman Burns
Amber Benson
Ella McShane
Kristin Griffith
Mrs. McShane
Chris Samples
Billy Thompson
Peggy Freisen
Mrs. Thompson
Katherine Heigl
Christina Sebastian
John Durbin
Mr. Sandoz
Lauryn Hill
Elevator Operator
Jesse Zeigler
Jealous Kid
Remak Ramsay
Principal Stellwater
Fred Cherrick
Woodbine Owner
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Keywords
hotelgreat depressioncanarybased on memoir or autobiographybellhop tuberculosistraveling salesmanmarbleselevator operatorlock childliving alonest. louisagainst the oddsepileptic seizureunderstandingchildren home alone
Details
Budget
$8M
Revenue
$1M
TMDb Votes
169
Added May 14, 2026Updated Jun 3, 2026