Summary

“Mack the Knife” follows Jonathan, who is about 50 years old. He is a television writer, but his career has begun to stall in recent years. He also appears to be suffering from depression. He is divorced and has a daughter. One night, he goes to dinner with two long-time friends of his: Hartwell and Paul. Hartwell has loaned Jonathan money in the past, but Jonathan has never been able to pay him back. Jonathan is embarrassed, but Hartwell seems to almost enjoy this dynamic. Jonathan is currently dating Julia, an actress who is in her early thirties. Julia has also been suffering from depression and has begun to develop habits of heavy drug use.

Jonathan thinks about a famous artist who used to live in the same building as him, and who had seemed very depressed. Jonathan also...