Review of Falling Awake (2010) by Remi L — 29 Mar 2013

I was very pleasantly surprised by this movie. Decided to watch it on a whim to see an actor I'm a fan of (Nicholas Gonzales) and though he ended up having a much smaller role than I anticipated, I quickly became consumed by the more prominent characters and their stories.

I think the dialogue was the best part of this film. My one complaint sometimes about independent film is that the dialogue feels scripted. With this film, it felt natural, off the cuff, witty, funny.

I loved just listening to the conversations between the main character and his friends. This movie is funny, but its also bleak and gritty and sad, but also well done and..diverse..for lack of a better word? The main character could've easily been your stereotypical Puerto Rican 20-something from the Bronx but in this film there's more to him than street ball, his rapper homeboy and his "big brother" from the wrong side of the tracks.

The music he loves is diverse, the films and cultures that fascinate him are diverse. I liked that this character wasn't one-note, how the viewer gets to see a new side to him when the situation changers.

I'm gonna keep my eye out for more of Augustin's work.