Review of Manito (2002) by Jeff G — 04 Feb 2009
This film is So powerful, So good, So seamless. It's not like watching a movie. It's more like watching a documentary. There is not a false note in the whole movie.
Why not a higher grade? It ends too soon and it ends too abruptly. Maybe that was the point. To show that is how life can be. It's random anything can happen at anytime. People don't make the right decisions. Sometimes the wrong people get punished. Also by ending it so abruptly it makes the audience feel more emotional towards the film and characters. I know I did. I wanted to spend more time with the characters. They made me care about them. They made me want to see how they end up and where they end up. I admire this film moved me emotionally.
The film is short and bittersweet. It made me think the characters are real not cookie cutter perfect they have flaws. Take for instance. The main character loves his family and is an ex-con. Not a saint he lies on his business insurance form. He hires cheap labor, Uses cheap paint, Sleeps with his client, Cheats on his wife numerous times. But you care about him.
The story is of the title character. Who has it all. He is about to graduate high school, he has a scholarship to college, his crush shows up at his graduation party, his family loves him and is proud of him, but he makes one wrong decision that could ruin his future. His brother feels guilty as he tries to save him from this fate almost identical to what happened to him.
In this film. We get a glimpse into the other members of this family as well as us getting a glimpse into the working class neighborhood of Washington heights. The performances are by little known or novice actors. Which helps grounding us into the realism. The only actor from this I have seen gone into other films is franky g. (Confidence, The Italian Job, Saw 2.).
The director Eric Eason. Directed another film named "journey into the night" I see a central theme with him and his movies are damaged father-son relationships and the placement of brothels. I feel he is a naturalistic filmmaker like the greats from the 70's.
The final scene is so (Forgive me) heartbreaking. The line the father uses to dismiss his son is so cold you wonder if he ever truly had a soul.
This review of Manito (2002) was written by Jeff G on 04 Feb 2009.
Manito has generally received positive reviews.
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