William Vincent, played by James Franco, is a mystery. When we are first introduced to his character, he's riding a bus from San Francisco to New York after just missing a plane to Tokyo that ended up crashing and leave no survivors. Though we learn nothing of his past, we see him acquire fake paperwork in the name that is used as the title of the film and we know that he is running from something. Despite living in a city of 1.5 million, he is an island unto himself, spending his days working in his apartment as an editor of nature films and keeping no company. His life begins to change, however, when a local crime boss, Josh Lucas, sees him pickpocket a stranger and recruits him. As throttling a life change it may be, it is nothing compared to what happens to him when he meets the beautiful Anne (Julianne Nicholson).

Certainly surprising the audience is the performance by Franco, who, whether you know him as Harry Osborne from the Spider-Man films or as drug-dealer Saul in Pineapple Express, is playing a whole new breed of character here. Walking through life with what can only be described as ataxia, he shows the occasional smirk in conversation as though he knows everything before it’s said. Where the performance really shines is when he is at work for the boss – whose name is never given – and you see what the character is truly capable of, giving us the slightest of insight to his past life.

Originally titled In Praise of Shadows, what would have been a very appropriate name, the movie is largely filmed in the dark with small lamps in the corner casting the only light, causing incredible shadows on the actors’ faces, their eyes seeming sunk into black holes. These are counterbalanced with bizarre nature footage of hummingbirds and insects that are so bright and vibrant that the rest of the film looks even darker by comparison.

Where the film is slightly off-kilter is in its pacing. Many of the conversations between the characters include long pauses and abstractions that slow things down to the point of frozen molasses running down sandpaper. When the plot needs to move forward, the action happens quickly, jumping days to have new encounters between William and Anne or sending him on another job. At one point, the film even jumps forward four years, but, maintaining the mystery, never tells us what happened during that time.

Written by director Jay Anania specifically for Franco, the film is a character piece about an absent character. It’s a film that certainly requires patience from its audience and a willingness to watch still characters, but if given a chance, the film can surprise you as a beautiful indie gangster film.

Follow along with all of our special, Tribeca 2010 coverage right here.