An impressive debut. This is a coming of age film about a young teen boy growing up in the rough streets of Chicago. His older brother is the local gang leader and drug dealer and the boy is both horrified and fascinated by the "hood " life style.
the film has it's problems. The editing and structure of the story are odd and a bit off, and the performances are a mixed bag. Felipe Camacho who plays the gang leader and Mario Acosta as the boy provide the best performances. Felipe is intense and well schooled in the school of Brando method acting, and the young Mario is the opposite:fresh faced, innocent and gentle. The rest of the performances range from decent to bad, but what do you expect from a film that cost peanuts. Yet ,with an extremely low budget(Blair witch was Titanic compared to this), director Frausto provides a film that looks like a million bucks. What's also impressive is the ambition. There are over 30 speaking parts and at times resembles Altman in the hood. The story has an almost epic sweep to it that one wishes he had the budget and opportunity to make it the 120-140 minute running time this story deserved. In the end, it's a fine film. The flaws are apparent, but so is the passion, love and brutality of life in the streets. It's also great, that it was shot in the gritty streets of Chicago, and has a midwest style all it's own. If I see another L.A. "Hey HOlmes!" film I'm going to scream. Also, Frausto is unfraid of the realities of life in the Hispanic barrio. He's unafraid to show you the truth unlike some elitist Latino circles in Los Angeles. Case in point, check out American Family on PBS. If you liked Mean Streets or Boys in the Hood, you'll enjoy this. And I look forward to the bright future of it's director, Juan J. Frausto, and some of the talented, still unkown actors.
