Edwin Johnson

In the all-night world of San Francisco's Tenderloin, aging Beat poet Phil suffers a debilitating stroke, leaving him in the hands of his caring, clumsy pal, Johnny. Meanwhile Johnny's sometimes boss, pimp Modisco, is putting the squeeze on his friend, the faded angel Svetlana, to get back in the business. Johnny hopes these two misunderstood outcasts, Phil and Svetlana, can provide much needed solace for one another from a dark world. (film.com)

Richmond, California, 1993. Right off Highway 80 on Cutting Boulevard, a small island of run-down buildings sits behind the huge cranes of the old Kaiser shipyards. Among these buildings, "The Tree" -- Earl Watson's Crabtree pool hall -- still stands. Years ago Watson, a 60-year old black man, was a pool hustler up in the Sacramento Delta... (citizencinema.com)