The Debut

Looking past the frequently rudimentary filmmaking and the rather stale plot of Americanized kids struggling against the old world values of their immigrant parents, The Debut has at its heart a strong cast of actors giving their all for the movie's young multicultural target audience. The story of a Filipino-American teenager (Dante Basco) determined to go to art school despite his father's insistence that he become a doctor, the film touches on many of the conflicts minorities face in sometimes hermetic ethnic social circles. While not a terribly weighty movie, first-time director Gene Cajayon finds emotional veracity in even the most contrived of circumstances and the performances are warm and sincere. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Gene Cajayon and writer John Manal Castro, a 21-minute making-of featurette, the eight-minute “The Little Film That Could: Touring the Country” promotion featurette, six deleted scenes (including an alternate opening), a three-minute gag reel, two short films--the original “Debut” (9 min.) by Cajayon and “Diary of a Gangsta Sucka” (10 min.) by Castro--three “The Mercado Files” featurettes on the film's art (2 min.), music (2 min.), and “The Basco Brothers” (3 min.), about a quartet of sibling actors featured in the film, as well as trailers, TV spots, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a decent indie film.] (R. Blackwelder)