If you pay attention to the scene where Uma picks up Ms. Rowlands from work because Ben dies and can't show up, in traffic most of the cars except Uma's are cars made after 1996, which wouldn't have been conceived in the early to mid 1980s.
I was also watching this very carefully becuase I wasn't at first sure if this was a period piece which I ultimately decided it is. When Rowlands is on the meridian waitng for Gazzara it's mostly trucks passing by, an unfortunate vintage car might have slipped through, but in general for a quicky HBO production, (I know it was, I also was a student of Mira at film school) it's a pretty good period piece for on the cheap in daylight situations, see "in the mood for love" for another good on the cheap period piece done by shooting limited locations, mostly at night.
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