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

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.

Add a comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Chico & Rita (2010)

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

7.3

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

Pedro Almodóvar made his international breakthrough through this chaotic screwball melodrama

8.0

In the Heights (2021)

A rousing modern musical and a vibrant celebration of Latino culture

7.9

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

A star-studded and riveting legal drama with a blockbuster feel.

8.1

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

Murder Mubarak (2024)

An entertaining satirical comedy inside a whodunnit that falls just short of the mark

6.7

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

Art of Love (2024)

An underwhelming heist romance with all of the style but none of the thrills

5.7

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Shyamalan meets Black Mirror in this hugely entertaining, visually inventive apocalyptic thriller with a killer ending

8.2

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.