All Night Bodega

Venus is a very realistically portrayed fifteen year-old girl who is on the brink of failing in school, and barely maintaining a relationship with her well-meaning but fed up stepmother. There are dangerous temptations all around her (gangs, crime), but she thinks she can fend for herself. It doesn't take long for things to go from bad to worse, and unfortunately Venus ends up trusting the wrong people--all just so she can avoid authority. The scary part is, she is a typical teenager.

This gritty film held my interest up until the final scene, which may or may not be a disappointment for those used to Hollywood endings. On my first viewing I was disappointed, but the second time I was not, but I can't say why without revealing too much. Suffice to say that once I got to know those characters, it mattered what happened to them, more than in many films with higher budgets and known actors.

I enjoyed the story as a whole. The characters themselves kept me interested for the majority of the film on my first viewing. On a second and third viewing I felt that some of the aspects of the story were left in the air with no clear cut sense of the next step, be it closure, discovery, or surrender. The other issue I found was the choices made in each performance. As an audience member found myself waiting for the actors to let go and really pull be into the emotional conflicts. There was less emphasis on the Hispanic culture and mannerisms that really shape and mold the people existing in it. Than what the setting would lead us to believe. The bravado that I would have liked to see was lost in technical acting. A touch could have brought t a fresh crisp dimension to all the performances. I must say that this is a film I would recommend to more savvy film viewer.