agmtw logo
search

Raising Victor Vargas (2003)

Raising Victor Vargas (2003)

The Very Best

8.0

A forgotten masterpiece about growing up Latino in the Lower East Side

Movie

France, United Kingdom
English, Spanish
Drama, Romance
2003

What it's about

Victor, a Lower East Side teenager, as he deals with his eccentric family, including his strict grandmother, his bratty sister, and a younger brother who completely idolizes him. Along the way he tries to win the affections of Judy, who is very careful and calculating when it comes to how she deals with men.

The take

This small-scale but incredibly fun 88-minute drama from 2003 is about a group of Latino teenagers who grow up in New York’s Lower East Side.

Victor lives with his eccentric grandmother, which sometimes gets in the way of him pursuing Judy, his dream girl.

The actor who plays Victor is called Victor Rasuk, the one who plays Judy is called Judy Marte. This is a film so personal that both main characters needed to be named after the actors who play them.

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Anora (2024)

An exciting and heartbreaking fairy tale with a modern, class-centric twist

9.0

My Old Ass (2024)

A pleasant mix of comedy and coming-of-age that may or may not leave you in tears

8.0

Emilia Pérez (2024)

Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez return to their roots in this multinational crime musical drama

7.5

In the Heights (2021)

A rousing modern musical and a vibrant celebration of Latino culture

7.9

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

Pedro Almodóvar made his international breakthrough through this chaotic screwball melodrama

8.0

Chico & Rita (2010)

A sublime animated love letter to the pre-Castro Cuban nightlife and music

7.3

Silenced (2011)

A brutal and harrowing exposé of the schoolwide abuse case that sparked outrage in Korea

9.0

The Substance (2024)

Demi Moore swaps bodies in this standout chaotic body dysmorphia horror

8.3

Once Were Warriors (1994)

A Maori family survives in an alienating Auckland in this raw, tragic drama

8.0

A Real Pain (2024)

Two cousins bond as they trace their roots in this powerfully emotional dramedy

8.0

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2025 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.