Raising Victor Vargas (2003)

Raising Victor Vargas (2003)

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

8.0

Movie

United States of America
English, Spanish
Drama, Romance
2003
PETER SOLLETT
Donna Maldonado, Jeff Knite, Judy Marte
88 min

What it's about

The film follows 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.

Comments

Such a great hidden gem.

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