Gun Hill Road

This is a lovely and sensitive story about family, and how we all have to stand as who we truly are. It is a wonderful mix of emotions and how we can love someone and not want the pain they may being into our lives. The actors work is outstanding, in part because the writer/director is an actor and really knows how to communicate with his excellent cast. It doesn't take you by the hand and lead you from point A to point B, but rather lets you put the pieces together in a way that makes sense for you, and then see how well the throughline you have constructed fits the film. You don't get to just sit back and be mindlessly entertained; it's a much richer experience that that, and all the better for it. Take this journey, and you may never get back to the exact place where you started. You end up a little too changed for that.

The plot of the movie is what drew me to see this film. Just finally saw it and it is a good film, but it left me feeling like "eh, that's it?" Acting was sub-par to OK. I wasn't convinced for Harmony's acting. It felt too generic flat, which sucks since the premise of the movie is about her/him. The movie also failed, in my opinion to dive deeper to the situation at hand. The focus of the movie was in between Enrique and Michael but it had nothing to do with each other which didn't make me care that much for either of them. And the ending? Ugh... where is it? Overall, I was expecting a real dramatic movie. It still is an OK film, it kept me watching to see what will happen, but the acting and writing could have been much better. And I'm still wondering why its call Gun Hill Road.

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.

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!

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.