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East Side Story review
:. Director: Carlos Portugal
:. Starring: René Alvarado, Gladys Jimenez
:. Running Time: 1:28
:. Year: 2006
:. Country: USA
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A hilarious and heartfelt gay love triangle with an unnatural heterosexual twist set in East Los Angeles, East Side Story is the counterpart to Quinceañera.
Director Carlos Portugal has taken on culture clashes, sexuality, gentrification in East L.A., and the politics of running a family business in a changing neighborhood, all with a high dose of comedy in his debut indie feature.
What happens when gabachos, and gay at that, start moving into a neighborhood that has traditionally been a Mexican enclave? As new vecinos are renovating houses and adopting children from abroad, some people in the neighborhood feel challenged.
Diego (René Alvarado) has always worked with his grandmother in the family Mexican restaurant. He dreams of being a chef while his slutty sister Bianca (Gladys Jimenez) traipses through Europe on his dime. He has a secret relationship with the local realtor (David Berón), a weasel of a man conflicted about his sexuality. When new neighbors Wesley (Steve Callahan) and Jonathon (Cory Schneider) move in, life takes a different turn.
The cast is very strong and the script allows each character to represent an aspect of society without turning into a mere cliché. Steve Callahan is truly the heart of the movie. He has moved into the neighborhood and wants to become a part of it and to learn about a culture different from his own. Cory Schneider is hilarious as the jealous boyfriend who sees the house as an investment—he can't get out of there quickly enough and is terrified of his "cholo" neighbors. René Alvarado plays the main character well, showing someone torn between his higher aspirations and loyalty to his family—while David Berón throws a monkey wrench into the mix by first hiding his relationship with a man and then proposing to his sister.
As the cost of real estate continues to rise, people are moving to the East Side. A new metro line connecting East L.A. to downtown is slated for completion in the next few years and luxury condos are being built in the most unlikely of places, which means certain areas will become unaffordable. What the future holds is debatable but East Side Story offers a glimpse of reality.
Anji Milanovic
 Movie Reviews: from 1998 to 2011
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