What makes this movie work is the extremely talented actors involved. The film itself had absolutely no budget and was Tess Nanavati's first completed film project, and it shows in a few places. The script could use work and the story is a little choppy. However, the acting is top notch, the best of the best unknown talent. Even Tess, focused on directing, did a very good job pulling off an angry drug-dealer/hitwoman. What made everyone's roles so believable was that everybody was just your normal street kid or college kid. No one had an extravagant role, and therefore it all came together rather well. Carlos DaSilva (who can more recently be seen as a security guard in School of Rock) did an amazing job as Cody, the also street-wise boyfriend who's just come back from being in jail for 2 years. The different stories link together nicely, and you definitely feel some kind of emotion for everyone in the story during the last few scenes. Aimee Muschamp is also a great addition to the cast. What this film lacks is a cohesive, realistic story and top-notch dialogue. However, as a first project, this film was a great stepping stone, and I enjoy watching it.
2 Reviews
In the Spirit of Kids....
nyc1nsomniac21 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This is an extremely independent but well executed urban drama about a bunch of teenagers dealing with life in the big NYC. If you can get past some of the amateur acting, the script is pretty good and the overall story is very engaging. Some of the lighter moments are quite entertaining, and the darker scenes are pretty depressing, so all in all it does what it's supposed to do. It's kind of a downer to watch too often but it's certainly worth a view or two if you're into guerrilla film-making - all hand-held, lots of improvisation, very realistic. Just don't expect a happy ending, because half the characters end up dead or alone. If you can stomach that, then it's a good film to check out.
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