'Gun Hill Road' :: Family dynamics, 21st century style
by Mona Elyafi
EDGE Contributor
Monday Jul 11, 2011
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=&sc2=features&sc3=&id=122091Part tough street film and part sensitive gay character study, Gun Hill Road offers a complex and insightful portrait of a family divided told from the perspective of the classic father-son dysfunctional narrative.
The film, the debut effort of Bronx native Rashaad Ernesto Green, asks the question: How does one reconcile a parent's unconditional love for his/her child with the annihilating pressure of one's own cultural beliefs?
Such is the quest for of the Enrique (the film's protagonist played to perfection by Esai Morales) who, after three years spent in prison, returns home to the Bronx to find the world he once knew has drastically changed. His wife, Angela (Judy Reyes) struggles to hide an emotional affair; while his teenage son, Michael/Vanessa (newcomer Harmony Santana), is shifting identity and social circles much to Enrique's immense despair.
