Raising Victor Vargas
One of the sweetest films I have seen for some time, this independent release has won prizes and acclaim all over for its honest depiction of growing up in Manhattan. Victor aspires to be the local Casanova which leads to his grandmother getting upset about his behaviour and accusing him of breaking up the family unit which is comprised of those two, a couch potato sister and a younger brother. In the midst of this Victor discovers Judy, the most sought after girl in the neighbourhood and although at the beginning he thinks of her as a conquest, it then becomes something else. There are various other subplots which show how people move through the processes of change and growth as adolescents and how this affects the people around them. Always done with humour and tenderness, Victor Rasuk is excellent in the lead role and ably supported by Judy Marte, Altagracia Guzman as the granny and a host of other amateur actors who shine. Peter Sollett wrote and directed this little gem.
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