Review of The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013) by Greg N — 24 Sep 2014

Stories about children struggling to survive on the streets are quite common (the most famous example is Charles Dickens' OLIVER TWIST), but this film takes a refreshingly honest and often brutal approach to this oft-told subject.

Mister (Skylan Brooks) is a 13-year-old Brooklyn kid with a serious attitude problem, and for good reason. As the film opens, we learn he has not only flunked eighth grade, but his mother is both a hooker and emotionally estranged.

Worse still, he grows up on the mean streets of Brooklyn where authorities are not doing their job properly. Mister's only friend is Pete (Ethan Dizon), an Asian kid with similar family problems. Both become inseparable companions after the police nab the former's mother.

Together they struggle to evade the authorities and do what they can to live on their own. The title of the movie, however, implies that the outcome will be just the opposite. Only not totally, but you'd have to see it to find out what I mean.

In fact, I highly recommend giving THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE a look; intense as this tale is, it is executed with a sincere heart and succeeds at being emotionally engaging without manipulating its viewers.

Furthermore, the performances are fantastic -- the two young leads especially. Midway through the film Brooks' character reads a book about acting, and when he says "you don't pretend to be a character, you become it," that basically sums up how effective his turn as the emotionally strong Mister is.

Dizon is a gentle counterpart to his tough-guy demeanor. The cinematography also captures the seedy, unpleasant streets of Brooklyn with grimy detail. Definitely worth checking out, but bring kleenexes with you.

You'll need them.