Gun Hill Road

Gun Hill Road is a powerful, courageous and deeply moving film. From start to finish, this magnificently-directed and captivating story feels 100% real and completely original. Gun Hill Road vibrantly depicts large, growing and yet almost completely unexplored contexts within American culture. This film evocatively addresses essential, timely and yet timeless human themes: our identity; our character; our family; our priorities and how we all struggle to balance these.

Obtaining brilliant, genuine performances from the entire cast throughout this well-layered plot, Rashaad Ernesto Green has clearly distinguished himself as an important new director to watch. What most distinctively succeeds in Green's full-length feature debut is the way one can connect emotionally with virtually EVERY character in this film. Esai Morales, Judy Reyes and newcomer Harmony Santana deliver profoundly multi-dimensional portrayals.

The ultimate proof of a sophisticated director resides in their ability to transport you into settings about which you may know little, but somehow enables you to raise challenging questions and emerge with new insights. Gun Hill Road is truly a breakthrough film from an exceptional director.

This movie was powerful! The rich, complex, tense family dynamics really drove realism and a deep engagement with the characters. I love Esai Morales, and this has to be one of the most stunning things I have seen him in, as he's working all the dimensions of his character's struggle to face what has changed in his life. My previous exposure to Judi Reyes was through "Scrubs". She really made you forget her old character Carla to display a a woman struggling with conflict and sacrifice. The entire cast was outstanding and authentic. Harmony Santana was just incredible in his transformation. An excellent, excellent movie, can't wait to see it in broader distribution!

The title has so little to do with what actually happens in this film and is so suggestive of some kind of rural drama that I just have to say: "WHAT were they thinking?". (I'm a native New Yorker, by the way, and even I didn't know this was a key neighborhood in the Bronx.) Otherwise, this is a powerful, sure-footed film which very often leaves things not quite spoken, down to the precise, powerful ending. It is, in its way, a pendant to "Pariah", though more specifically about transgender issues. Above all, what makes it work is the tremendous love one feels between all the characters here, well beyond any stereotypes. Harmony Santana has arrived. plain and simple, and arrived with a multi- colored splash. Esai Morales (who gets credit right off as one executive producer) does a marvelous job of showing a father who loves his son with all his heart but has a constellation of reasons for not being able to accept the changes he was not there to see. Judy Reyes shows passionate ambivalence as her character tries to balance love for several different people in inherently conflictual relationships. Everybody, including his prison nemesis (Robert Salzman) and his parole officer ((Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), is perfectly cast (by Sig de Miguel and Stephen Vincent). Its subject and its subtlety make this an indie film in spirit, but it retains all the best techniques of strong, straight-ahead story-telling.

Brilliant, searing filmmaking. This is brutally honest, courageous work on all levels - exquisite storytelling that challenges, uplifts, tickles, and inspires even when addressing the depths of human despair, disappointment, uncertainty, and discouragement.

"Gun Hill Road" is an important first feature offering. It is not for the emotionally faint of heart. On the other hand, vulnerability and tenderness abound in every aching moment.

The performances are powerful and right on target. The filmmaking itself is nothing short of premium in every area. Shot under a modest budget, this film brings the craft to new heights. This movie does not back down. It's in your face. It makes you laugh. It makes you cry. It makes you cheer that such truth on the screen is, after all, possible.

I just saw this movie tonight, a few hours ago at the LALIFF. Gun Hill Road is a great movie, a must see. I give the rating a 10 because I haven't seen a movie like this before. I can not personally relate, but in this case it didn't matter. It made me really think about society, our views our ego's. A great job of showing the transitions, the family as a whole. The father then the son. It's nice to walk away from a movie and still be thinking about it, and the message hours later. I felt for all the main characters. Nice to see something that hasn't been done before. This film is digital, I enjoyed the look and the feel.I will watch it again. Everyone should see this movie.