DON'T LET ME DROWN (2009)

Directed By: Cruz Angeles
Written By: Cruz Angeles & Maria Topete
Cinemantography By: Chad Davidson
Editor: Andrew Hafitz

Cast: E.J. Bonilla, Gleendilys Inoa, Adrian Martinez, Gina Torres, Ricardo Chavira


This film really came out of nowhere. I heard no advance buzz on the film at all. I just decided one day while i was watching cable to give it a chance and i'm glad i did. While not monumentally great, the film makes a impact and has charm for days and a survival spirit that makes the film pretty good and a worthwhile experience viewing it.

You don't feel a director with a voice, but you do feel more of a natural writer's voice while watching this film.

The film starts off as a drama that seems to be about a immigrant family in new york. The father working at the World Trade Center site. right after 9/11 it dates the film but we know where it will lead or so we think. we get to see the father;s deteriorating health and how it affects his family. We also see the other workers slowly getting sick. then the film introduces a new character a girl who he initially doesn't get along with then he finds out why she was so angry. then they soon bond and start out as friends then slowly move on to something more. His uncle tries to teach him about seduction and sex. Her father naturally thinks she is having sex because she is friends with a boy. We learn about her troubled family as the teens grow closer.

What could have been a cliche urban teen romance ends up being something more substantial. The film touches on many themes and subjects and finds a way to tie them all together. it is a movie definatley worth seeking out.

One of the beauties of this film ios that the characters are not polished they are not styled either. They are messy, they can't exactly communicate their feelings and thoughts completly they react at times without thinking. all those aspects make them feel like real human beings then characters. They are not all good, not all bad. they mean well.

It's a movie that gives us no easy answers.

The two leads don't ever seem destined for each other. they are both revolving around each other's edges. they never seem like they are performing.
The end of the film doesn't leave you with any answers most of the problems are still open and suffering. They are left open ended, leaving us to wonder what happened.

I have to point out Gleendilys Inoa Performance overall she just feels real and reminds me of a few teenage girls i have either known or seen usually on the subway having waqy too loud conversations. She is one to watch.

GRADE: B