La Mission

This is a fantastic film.

Benjamin Bratt gives his heart and soul in this performance as Che Riveria and Erika Alexander is stunning as Lena.

This film is rich with the colors, energy and music of the Mission district of San Francisco.

Writer/director Peter Bratt lets us into the world of a man defined by his culture. A culture that gives him a second chance at life and rewards masculinity and strength will also prove to be his downfall.

This father/son story is heartfelt. Che Riveria is a tough man but will need to dig deep to find the courage needed to prove he is worthy in the eyes of his son.

Even in L.A., this powerful film about Latino family culture only ran in a handful of theaters for a fewer number of weeks. Well worth looking for, LA MISSION is one of the most powerful and rewarding films I've seen in years.

Every actor, from unknown to under-rated, is perfectly cast and directed. Leading man Benjamin Bratt is given solid dialog, but in a major scene in which he has no words, his body and soul communicate all that needs to be said and more. The carefully chosen locations and intricately-detailed set design are reasons enough to shut your cell phone off and let it command your undivided attention.

Even the soundtrack which could have gone down a well-traveled "low rider" route takes you to unexpected places -- from indigenous Aztec folk music to India raga; from the 60s to the present. Both the original and adapted musical choices are just as involving as the script and plot. Yet it's not available on a soundtrack CD as of this writing.

Don't want to say more, because the film is best seen "cold" with little inside knowledge. But you will leave the theater (or your home screen) wondering why this well-crafted labor of love is such a well- kept secret.

Woefully overlooked despite solid reviews, it's 2 hours well spent -- and warrants repeated viewing for years to come.

Che has lived in the same apartment in San Francisco's Mission District for 26 years. He has done time but has a garage and restores classic cars, and he drives a bus. He has a teenage son Jes, but we never learn about Jes' mother.

Che is a great guy with a pleasant personality most of the time, and everyone likes him--except Lena, who doesn't want him to work on cars on the sidewalk (did he not have the garage yet?) and just generally seems hard to please. During what free time he has, Che plays pickup basketball with the guys, and he drives one of the many great-looking classic cars in his "low rider" group. He is also restoring a '64 Chevy for Jes as a graduation present.

Jes has a boyfriend Jordan and they go to a loud gay club together. They have a number of photos taken, which Jes leaves lying around. He shouldn't have, because he hasn't told his father. And as cool as Che is, his reaction to his son being gay is not exactly what you would expect. Jes is also bullied by a guy at school who also sees him in the 'hood, and this guy has problems with Che as well.

During the rest of the movie, Che and Jes have to work to resolve their differences. Something does happen that we hope would make everything work out, but it's just not that simple. Meanwhile, Che and Lena started out hating each other, so what do you think will happen with them? Well, not quite what you'd think. Nothing is simple in this movie.

This movie is a quality portrayal of life in a Latino neighborhood, but it is more than that. These people are not merely Mexican. At least some of them, including the bully, are Aztec, and we see the colorful costumes and the dancing of the Aztec culture. We see beautiful art on buildings, and even on that '64 Chevy. Who knew a 60-year-old car could look so good?

Benjamin Bratt gives a remarkable performance with many dimensions. He is not merely this great guy everyone likes. He can be just plain nasty and he can get depressed and withdraw from the world. But overall his is a positive image of Latino culture, because he is genuinely trying to be a good guy.

Another good performance comes from a guy whose name I don't remember. He is a good friend of Che, and he and his wife had a disabled child. This is important in helping Che overcome his prejudices, if indeed he ever does.

And Erika Alexander is worth mentioning as Lena. Jeremy Ray Valdez also does a good job as Jes.

While the movie can be quite serious and controversial, with different types of bigotry, it also has some laughs. One of Che's friends (who is African-American) is able to say "chili chatter" without offending when complaining the others speak Spanish around him when they're in HIS country; they should speak English.

There is some violence and I could tell the language had to be cleaned up a LOT for TV. Amazingly, someone decided the rating should be TV-PG-V. No L, though there are a few words left.

One of the most meaningful parts of the movie is a scene with the low-riders. A new person in the group appears to be warmly welcomed by the neighborhood people. They don't say a word. They just look at the newcomer in a friendly way. Judging from the credits, I would say these are real people from the neighborhood.

It's worth seeing, just in general but also as a Latino-themed movie that is different.

"La Mission" is a project of love about the barrio neighborhood the Bratt brothers grew up in. Writer/Director Peter Bratt takes time and care to set up a strong sense of cultural pride with Aztec dancers, Catholic rituals, "slow and low" cruising in shiny low riders through the family oriented Mission District of San Francisco.

Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt) an ex-con and recovering alcoholic, has worked hard to earn the respect of his community by going straight and being a good father to his college bound son (Jeremy Ray Valdez.) Benjamin Bratt portrays Che as the embodiment of Mexican machismo. The director presents him as a sympathetic character who was brought up to use his fists to survive on the hard streets. Che finds strength for his quest for redemption in his culture and religion. But when he discovers that his beloved son is gay, that homophobic culture drives his negative response.

Enhancing the theme is a multi-racial relationship with Che's black, culturally diverse, social-worker neighbor Lena (Erika Alexander.) Lena sees through Che's violent, macho exterior. Experience has taught her that this kind of man is incapable of changing, but she can't help but be moved by the wounded boy inside.

There is an odd visual metaphor which I believe is meant to show the contrast between past and present Chicano culture: colorful Aztec dancers perform at the shine of a murdered teen with a sign, "No more violence." I found it odd because the Aztec's practiced human sacrifice. Whether intentional or not, the Aztec dancers are a good metaphor for the theme: We need to keep what is healthy from our culture or religion and let go of what is destructive.

"La Mission" isn't perfect. A few scenes were just left hanging - especially in the romantic subplot. I didn't feel the chemistry between Che and Lena. But Benjamin Bratt delivers one of his strongest performances. The brothers have given us an authentic, loving depiction of the culture in the Mission barrio with an important theme for our times.

Movie Blessings! Jana Segal,Reel Inspiration

This is a film to see. Great as a "date" movie or even a family movie (if you don't mind the occasional f-bomb) this film has the same "human heart" found in Juno, Little Miss Sunshine, and Big Fat Greek Wedding. Its a great story told very well by very talented people who had something important to say.

I won't put in a spoiler because frankly I want you to see it as I did without knowing what its about. I want you to enjoy it's unfolding.

Whether you see this film in theaters (recommended) or watch it on PPV, Cable or DVD, I can _guarantee_ you'll see it because its one of the best independent films . . . one of the best films . . . I've seen in the last five years.

Enjoy :)