I had heard buzz about this film; but personally it was hard to imagine how the talents of this combination of actors would gel. This production bravely walks a tightrope of emotions within a family, community and culture that without proper balance would have come off as trite, biased -- or worse: a mess of conflicting emotions. In some ways it reminded me of "La Mission" which had a similar theme but a different approach. How do you address the topics of machismo, trans-sexuality and role definition within any family -- let alone a Latino family faced with the pressures of a multi-faceted big city culture? The director, Rasheed Green, to his credit, gives the audience a time inside the minds of each of the characters; and by the middle of this 86 minute drama it was clear he had the right recipe. It reminded me of making "Mofango" -- a delicious PR dish replete with garlic, herbs spices and textures: if anything is out-of-balance, it throws off the entire preparation! This production has the right blend of all the ingredients.
Review of Gun Hill Road
