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Love
between people often involves fear because it leaves us vulnerable.
But as we watch Judy and Victor we see the way love can win out
over fear.

RAISING VICTOR VARGAS
(2003)
This page was created on May 8, 2003
This page was last updated on
December 11, 2004
Review -click
here
Photos -click here
About this Film -click here
Spiritual Connections -click
here
Forum -click
here
|
| CREDITS |
| Directed
and written by Peter Sollett
Story by Eva Vives
Victor Rasuk .... Victor
Judy Marte .... Judy
Melonie Diaz .... Melonie
Altagracia Guzman .... Grandma
Silvestre Rasuk .... Nino
Krystal Rodriguez .... Vicki
Kevin Rivera .... Harold
Wilfree Vasquez .... Carlos
Donna Maldonado .... Donna
Alexander Garcia .... Al
John Ramos .... Macho
Theresa Martinez .... Judy's Mom
Randy Luna .... Pool Boy #3
Jeff Asencio .... Pool Boy #4
Juan I. Lebron .... Israel
Joe Rosario .... Security Guard
Gladys Austin .... Social Worker
Jacqueline Rosario .... Singer
Produced
by
Jean Michael Dissard .... associate producer
Scott Macaulay .... producer
Vincent Maraval .... executive producer
Robin O'Hara .... producer
Peter Sollett .... producer
Cate Wilson .... line producer
Alain de la Mata .... producer
Original Music by Brad Jones and Roy Nathanson
Cinematography by Tim Orr
Film Editing by Myron I. Kerstein
MPAA: Rated R for strong language.
Runtime: 88 min
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM,
and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG
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AND CLIPS |
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| SYNOPSIS
|
Manhattan's
gritty, majestic Lower East Side is the sweltering romantic playground
for Victor Vargas (VICTOR RASUK), a self-styled teenaged Casanova
who, despite his adolescent hubris, has a lot to learn about love.
Eager
to protect his street-cred after his friends discover he's been
sleeping with upstairs neighbour "Fat Donna" (DONNA MALDONADO),
Victor sets out to nab a new girl. Much to her annoyance, popular
"Juicy Judy" Ramirez (JUDY MARTE) finds herself the object
of Victor's relentless attention. After a humiliating series of
public rejections, Victor strikes a bargain with Judy's younger
brother Carlos (WILFREE VASQUEZ). In exchange for a date with Victor's
younger sister, Vicky, Carlos will help Victor win Judy's affections.
His plan proves successful and Judy agrees to tolerate him as "her
new man," securing Victor's place high atop the neighbourhood's
social pecking order.
Unfortunately,
his hilariously cantankerous old-school grandmother (ALTAGRACIA
GUZMAN), with whom he and his siblings live, is convinced that Victor's
teen-age sexual antics make him a bad kid. Caught between regaining
his grandmother's trust and helping his kid brother and sister negotiate
the oft-baffling ways of the world, Victor discover that there's
a difference between acting like a man and becoming one. As he and
Judy slowly start to trust and be trusted, Victor learns that a
lot of love has been put into RAISING VICTOR VARGAS.
Peter
Sollett's feature debut is a stunning piece of filmmaking that carefully
explores the stumbling blocks of growing up, capturing adolescence
at its most tender, funny and genuine. His script was developed
through the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, a prestigious program which
offers emerging artists the opportunity to work intensively on their
feature film scripts with the support of established screenwriters.
Sollett also extensively workshopped the film with the support of
La Cinéfondation in Paris.
|
Review by DARREL MANSON BLOG
Pastor,
Artesia Christian Church, Artesia, CA
http://netministries.org/see/churches/ch01198
Darrel
has an incredible love and interest in the cinematic arts.
His reviews usually include independent and significantly important
film. |
Raising
Victor Vargas is a slice-of-life look into the struggles of teenagers
on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in coming to terms with life.
Victor, his brother and sister are being raised by their grandmother,
who worries about them and about the influences on them. She tries
to get them to church, but Victor isn't much interested. Victor, like
many teenagers, is interested in sex. His brother is too, but is unsure
what to do about it.
Actually,
Victor is not so much concerned about sex as he is with the prestige
that comes with sexuality. Whom one has sex with or belongs to is
what really seems to matter.
But then he meets Judy. Judy isn't interested in all this. In fact,
the blatantly loveless and crude desire of the boys in her neighborhood
has turned her off from wanting desire. So she creates a pseudo-relationship
with Victor to have some protection.
Both
Victor and Judy are using each other for their own ends. But in time,
the relationship begins to grow into something more valuable. In that
growth, the relationship becomes much more risky -- such is the nature
of love. And we watch as trust begins to grow and replace the objectification
that they began with.
In one scene, Judy talks with her girl friend, who likes Victor's
friend. Judy asks what is really a key question for her, ?How do you
know you can trust him?? It is only as Victor opens himself to her
and she to him, that they can begin to have the trust that is required
to love.
Writer-Director
Peter Sollett let the actors improvise with the script to make it
their own and make it something real. There is a strong influence
of cinema verit?. The handheld camera is often closer that the viewer
will feel comfortable with. There is a feel to this film that it is
a documentary, even though you know it isn't.
The emotions are what drive this film, more so than the plot. The
story may move slowly at times, but the reality of what is happening
within the characters keeps the viewer involved. Sollett and the actors
were able to truly bring these characters to life because they were
able to put some of themselves into the roles.
One of the plusses of the film is that as central as sexuality is
to the story, it manages to tell the story without any overt sex or
nudity.
As I watched, the words of 1 John 4:18 came to mind: "There is
no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear." The author,
of course, was speaking of God's love for us. Love between people
often involves fear because it leaves us vulnerable. But as we watch
Judy and Victor we see the way love can win out over fear. |
Continue:
Review
-click here
Photos -click here
About this Film -click here
Spiritual Connections -click
here
Forum -click
here |
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