Raising Victor Vargas

Narratively slight but wonderfully vivid and genuinely moving, Peter Sollett's modest picture, set in the Dominican area of Manhattan's Lower East Side, is the rare coming-of-age film that demeans neither its characters nor the viewer. Victor Vargas (Victor Rasuk) is a good-looking teen living in a crowded apartment with his traditionalist grandmother (Altagracia Guzman) and younger siblings Nino (Silvestre Rasuk) and Vicki (Krystal Rodriguez). His infatuation with a local girl (Judy Marte) leads to a gentle comedy of errors in which the stability of the family is threatened as the boy gradually sheds his macho posturing and begins to grow up. The script of Raising Victor Vargas may be simple, but it's played with an endearing lightness of touch; and while the confrontations that arise over the course of the action are certainly serious, there's never any doubt about the underlying affection that binds the characters together. Technically a bit ragged, but offset by Sollett's sensitive direction and beautifully unaffected performances across the board, this small, delicate film is a gem, a cinematic short story of enormous insight and immense charm. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)