La Mission [Blu-ray]
Set in the colorful, seedy streets of the San Francisco district that bears its name, La MISSION is a haunting story of healing and transformation: the healing of a broken man, of a father s relationship with his son, and of a neighborhood struggling to break the chains of violence.For this affecting labor of love, Peter Bratt focuses on a Latino widower with rigid views on masculinity. A bus driver covered in tattoos, Che Rivera (the filmmaker’s brother, Benjamin Bratt) lives in San Francisco’s Mission District with his son, Jes (Jeremy Ray Valdez). A recovering alcoholic who customizes low-riders on the side, Che takes pride in the high school senior’s academic achievements, but he doesn’t take kindly to homosexuals–and has no clue about Jes’s secret life until he finds the photographic evidence. As expected, he gets upset, but Jes’s insulting defense only makes matters worse and leads Che to kick him out. While Jes stays with relatives until things cool down, Che tries to resist the bottle, but word travels fast in a close-knit community, and the personal becomes political when bullies hassle the Riveras, leaving Che to consider revenge. Lena (the radiant Erika Alexander), a concerned neighbor who works at a women’s shelter, tries to help father and son mend fences, but there’s only so much she can do. She’s also interested in Che, and he in her, but their personalities present a more significant obstacle than race or culture. In less adept hands, La Mission could’ve become a preachy soap opera, but despite a few creaky plot mechanics, Bratt’s attention to detail ensures that his characters register more as sympathetic individuals than stereotypes. He’s aided in his efforts by strong performances, flavorful old-school funk, and camera work that celebrates the beauty of a rapidly gentrifying region. –Kathleen C. Fennessy
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Powerful. well-acted film is a must-see!
“La Mission” refers to the Mission District of San Francisco, home to Che (Benjamin Bratt) and his 17 year old son Jesse (Jeremy Ray Valdez). Che is a macho, reformed ex-convict and recovered alcoholic who raised Jesse alone, after the death of his mother when he was very young. He works as a city bus driver, and lives for his hobby of restoring old car, turning them into “low riders” he takes cruising with his friends on weekend nights.
Jesse is a good boy, and a good student, planning to attend UCLA in the fall. He is also gay, a secret he has kept from his father and extended family, and has been dating a young man from a wealthy family. When Che finds photos of the two of them together, Jesse is initially thrown out of the house, and goes to live with his uncle, who tries to get the stubborn Che to reconcile with him. Che goes on a self-destructive binge, perhaps believing God is punishing him for his earlier misdeeds. Ultimately, fate forces Che to examine his reactions and attitudes, remembering that family and his son were once so important to him.
An emotionally devastating film, “La Mission” paints a realistic portrait of the knee-jerk reactions of many lower-class Latino men to homosexuality, as well as the clash between traditional values and modern realizations. The film also features a unique musical score, ranging from Aztec folk music to some great, mellow classic R&B. The acting is first rate, especially Bratt, young Valdez, and Erika Alexander as Lena, Che’s African-American neighbor who tries to make him realize what he is risking to lose. Absolutely a “don’t miss” film, with 5 low-rider stars out of 5.
5 Stars A Great Movie with outstanding performances!
I am glad that I watched this movie on the recommendation of a friend. A great movie with a whole lot of substance. This movie is as real as it gets. Benjamin Bratt did an outstanding job in playing a father who struggles with his personal demons of alcoholism and anger management as well as learning of his son’s sexual preference. This film dealt with a lot of the day by day issues facing many of us today. An enlightening movie. This movie will official become part of my personal collection. A movie that I will certainly watch again.
5 Stars Great film!
This is in my top 10 movies of the decade! Very thought-provoking movie and deeply real movie that I can’t wait to see again.
5 Stars Raw, Real, Unwilling to Sell Out: A Fine Film
Writer/director Peter Bratt had the choice in LA MISSION to make a film about the Hispanic culture in San Francisco’s Mission district to create a predictable imitation of life or a sensitive study of a culture with all of its beauty and with all of its problems: gratefully he took the latter. This is a film bursting with fantastic color from the inimitable clash of pigments used for the interiors of the homes of this culture to the fantasyland carefully restored old cars painted with religious and emotional scenes - the proud mark of the Low Riders - and the street celebrations full of lust and glamour and the intoxicating foods and dance. But it is also an internal film dealing with such realities as alcoholism, prison time, single parenting problems, pride in a child’s educational and athletic achievements - and the delicate issue of responding to the presence of same sex relationships. It is a banquet of delights and problems that Bratt handles magnificently well.
Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt in a role that defines his fine acting abilities) has served time in prison, is an Alcoholics Anonymous member, and since his wife’s death early in their marriage is the loving father of his well-educated and well-loved son Jesse (Jeremy Ray Valdez, in a role that should mark him for an important career). Che works hard as a bus driver, spends his free time restoring old cars to ride every Friday evening - ’slow, low riding through the streets of San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood’. His family includes Rene (Jesse Borrego) and Ana (Talisa Soto) who share as much pride in Jess as Che: their only son was born with a cardiac defect that has made them more sensitive to the differences in children. Che has only one problem: Jesse is gay and has a boyfriend Jordan (Max Rosenak) and the discovery of Jesse secret life destroys Che image of his family and of himself. A neighbor Lena (Erika Alexander) befriends Jesse and eventually Che and Lena are draw together over a tragedy that occurs: Jesse is shot by a homophobic fellow student, forcing Che to face his own demons and begin to understand his son more fully. The excellent way in which Bratt handles these major crossroad confrontations is written and directed and acted with such sensitivity - nothing occurs as expected and everyone maintains dignity - a very difficult range of emotions to handle.
The entire cast is excellent, the dialogue is spicy, the characters are well conceived, the particular gifts of Erika Alexander as a woman with a history of abuse who is devoting her life to working in a women’s shelter who allows her physical needs to be met while maintaining her ownership of a wise woman of experience are extremely well utilized, and this film offers a platform deserving of the talent of Benjamin Bratt and Jeremy Ray Valdez. It is a tough story told with great sensitivity and truth. Hiro Narita’s cinematography and Mark Kilian’s musical score round out this very fine achievement in cinematic art. Grady Harp, August 10
5 Stars What A Shocker!!!
I avoided this movie like the plague. One day I was waiting for someone and I had to kill a couple of hours so I went across the street to my local movie theater. Being that I had already seen everything -and my personal rule against double dipping at the movie theater- I decided to give something new a chance. I am so glad I did. “La Mission ” was a really good movie. It’s a shame that it was so good, because I was the only person in the theater watching it. This movie is about acceptance, it’s about racial tolerance, tolerance of sexual preference, family and tradition. The dramatic elements are moving, tear jerking and powerful. The father son dynamic is very touching. The point is that the father loved his son, even if he couldn’t accept his son. Wow, I could go on forever. This was truly a fantastic movie, no wonder Benjamin Bratt was pushing it so hard, everyone needs to see this. Im glad I did. This is a movie about a gay teenager coming out to his parent.
Filed under: Blue Ray Movie Reviews