Raising Victor Vargas
Seventeen year old Victor lives in a tight knit Dominican neighborhood and fancies himself quite the lothario. He winks, licks his lips (in a very specific way) and tousles his mop of curly hair, all to impress the ladies. Everyone buys his role as master lover – that is until he tries to hook up with a girl nicknamed “Fat Donna”. Despite his greatest effort, word spreads around and soon he finds himself in a position where he must repair his reputation quickly. Bolstered by a desperate need, Victor approaches Judy, the hottest girl around, and asks her to be his girl.
There are no needless frills in Raising Victor Vargas. It’s a “slice of life” movie that takes a simple attitude that extends even to the camera work and editing. Shot like a documentary, the film squeezes in the cramped apartments and crawls around the house, finding the family all their complexity. Slice of life movies are just that, and although there’s a definite arc to the narrative, you understand that there’s a lot more that’s happening both before and after the events in the story.
In a word, every actor in this film is phenomenal. The acting is so loose, with such an un-scripted feel, that at times you wonder if what you’re seeing isn’t real. The familial relationship should be instantly familiar to anyone with brothers and sisters. It’s antagonism mixed with love, reverence mixed with disgust. The greatest revelation of all, however, is the matriarch of the family, the Dominican grandmother played by Altagracia Guzman. She can’t believe the way that her grandchildren live, and can barely control them or make them conform to her traditional way. Muttering under breath and saying unintentionally funny things, this isn’t exactly a comedic role, but it’s funny because it has heart.
Of course, that can be said for the movie as a whole. It’s not violent, it’s not overtly sexual, it’s life and it’s love among a family undergoing changes.
Movie Grade: A
A final note: this film getting an R rating is offensive. There’s some strong language, but nothing you don’t hear on the street. That’s it. The MPAA is an amazingly inept organization. We’re long due for a change. I’m not saying this film is appropriate for 13 year olds, it’s just that anyone 15 or older probably deal with the very subjects, say the very same things, that the MPAA restricts from seeing.
Video: 4 out of 5
It’s shot and edited in a strictly documentary style, so a little grain, shake and low lighting won’t hurt you.
Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: 3 out of 5
Again, very little score and a simple soundtrack that relays the dialogue.
English and Spanish (Dolby 2.0)
Extras: 0 out of 5
Will no one heed my call? Nothing but some trailers and they’re not even for the movie you’re watching.
Overall: 2 out of 5
I hate giving such low disc scores to such good movies – but there ain’t nothing but the flick on this one. It is a fine flick though, a little slice of one boy’s life. Highly recommended.
Year: 2003
Written: and Directed by: Peter Sollett
Starring: Victor Rasuk, Judy Marte, Melonie Diaz, Altagracia Guzman, Silvestre Rasuk and Krystal Rodriguez
Details: 88 mins / Samuel Goldwyn Films / Rated R