Acts of Worship

I can't really say that I enjoyed this movie, considering the subject nature...but it did make me think, and most importantly, feel.

Alix and Digna seem like two totally different people. Alix is a drug addict. She lives on the streets of NYC and lives a daily life of finding money and a fix and a place to sleep - in that order, often doing shady things to accomplish them. Digna is a successful photographer who has a great boyfriend, a nice apartment and seems to be rapidly advancing through her career.

Digna lives next door to someone that Alix gets high with and they know each other on a first-name basis. Soon, they both end up entering each other's worlds, and finding out just how similar their lives really are.

I feel like many of the scenes in this film are very realistic, especially the scenes of Alix on the street and how she lives her daily life. I think Ana Reeder did a great job in those scenes, and must have done quite a bit of research before playing this role.

I felt a little different regarding Michael Hyatt (Digna). Some of the scenes seemed a little shallow as far as acting - not enough depth into the character. I don't think this was mostly her fault though, I think the script could have been better in some places, such as the scenes with Digna and her boyfriend, Anthony (Nestor Rodriquez). I didn't feel like they were much of a loving couple, just kind of bland and blah.

All in all though, this film is a very refreshing change from the over-acted, over-produced, high budget dramas that are out there. The movement of the camera and angles made this film seem like you were watching a documentary at times - which to me, is a good thing. I applaud the director, Rosemary Rodriquez, for taking a step to make this film. She mentions in the featurette on the DVD that she didn't want to glamorize drug addiction but show it for what it really is. She did a great job.

I felt like there was so much beauty in the scenes of the film - I love watching the streets of NYC, however, what goes on isn't always beautiful. Very tragic. Rosemary Rodriquez has helped us to see humanity on the streets.

Though I saw the movie not too far from the location of the action, I am not one to judge on the realism of a drug movie. All the same, it had a documentary feel to it as the other comment said, especially the background characters and locations. The lead was excellent. My only problem with it was that the script and some of the acting (the woman who helps her might be based on a real person, but did a real actress play the role? not to be mean, but her performance was a bit amateurish) at times was a bit simplistic and forced.

The lead actress, however, made me stay throughout ... a breakout role.

This felt like MORE than a movie... it felt as if we had some sort of porthole into the lives of REAL people living the life of real addicts in a real city. The acting in this movie was impeccable. The characters were more than believable, they were so authentic that is was like watching a reality show. The human emotions that would trail across the faces and through the eyes of the characters followed by the desperation for the next fix... the slow sinking to new lows... each scene depicted the underworld that's out there and the selfish but pathetic lifestyle and thought processes of the addict, played out to their inevitable consequences. This movie was so real it hurt to watch it and various scenes have come back to haunt both my husband and myself for several days after having watched it. An amazing portrayal that maybe asks some questions but definitely has no answers only looks to us with empty eyes and open, shaky hands.

This well made and worthy first film by Rosemary Rodriguez is a must see film for anyone with a loved one, friend or interest in drug addiction. It is moving, informative and interesting and obviously a labor of love and hard-won knowledge. Ana Reeder and Nestor Rodriguez shine brightly in a cast of great convincing actors that bring you along into their story of pain, loss, redemption, and tragedy and hope as believably and naturally as I've seen. And the story is honest, raw and strong. Rosemary Rodrigez really can handle the typewriter and an indie film crew. I started to watch this little masterpiece 3 months ago on a houseboat with a beat up 17" TV and several noisy friends. The beautiful opening and music immediately cried out to me for a better and more respectful viewing and I packed the DVD away in a Manhattan bound bag. Last night I finally had a good movie friend over and decent screen and sound system and broke out Acts Of Worship. Both of us know the Lower Side of the the early 90's and love great movies. This is a winner. Great Story. Great Visuals. Great Locations. Great Sound. Great Acting. Great Lean and Raw Directing.

Rent or buy a copy ASAP. Love your friends and family and share it with them. Don't let go of hope, don't give up on truth. Be useful, act kindly and bravely, and see Acts of Worship.

The storyline is the type of thing you find on a Lifetime Network Special or a straight-to-television movie trying to warn about the dangers of drug addiction, but this movie goes so far beyond that. It's not like it adds zany warped realities like Requiem for a Dream or it has some sort of narration keeping the audience completely informed that "this is what you should fear to be", it does everything so much simpler than that: It sits back and lets the actors eat the audience's collective heart out.

The drama in this film is SO UTTERLY CONVINCING. The performances get first prize for portrayals that, even when you want to try and find something wrong with it (I'm guessing this film might be considered too sentimental by some), keep the drama serious and prominent, not allowing the audience to let go of their suspension of disbelief. If it wasn't for the production quality, it would seem like this was a documentary and these were real people. And it's not just Ana and Michael, the two main characters, it's everyone, from the boyfriends to the crack addicts that have two seconds of screen time to everyone.

Secondly, the cinematography and editing are very well tuned to excellence. This movie definitely has the feel of an independent film, but more than that it doesn't have that "Look at me, I'm independent!" feel. Skewed angles and purposeful jump cuts exist stylistically in the film, but they come at the right times and are completely necessary, versus what tends to happen in a lot of independent cinema where the camera becomes relatively self-conscious and goes places it needn't. For example, the hand-held quality of this film is almost invisible, while some independent films tend to show off their independence via hand-held in a wannabe cinema-verite sort of conceit.

It's disappointing that I haven't heard anything about this film before. I literally picked it up because it was the first movie on the first row of the first aisle to rent because I wanted to surprise myself, and whadyaknow but it happened to be a real gem! I hope it builds a bigger audience because it deserves to be recognized.

--PolarisDiB