La Mission

2010 | 117 minutes | Rated R

San Francisco's Mission District is the setting for this 2009 indie, whose star (Benjamin Bratt of Law and Order) and writer-director (Peter Bratt, the actor's brother) grew up there. The protagonist—a widower, car mechanic, reformed drunk, and stand-up guy—recoils when his teenage son (Jeremy Ray Valdez) comes out to him as gay, but a more liberal-minded black woman living next door (Erika Alexander) helps raise the father's consciousness. The after-school-special moralizing is mitigated by the project's sincerity and textured locale. By Cliff Doerksen

Director: Peter Bratt
Producer: Benjamin Bratt, Peter Bratt, Dan Nelson and Alpita Patel
Cast: Benjamin Bratt, Talisa Soto, Kevin Michael Richardson, Erika Alexander, Jesse Borrego, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Frederick Johnson, Tina Huang, Rueben Gonzales, Patrick Shining Elk, Melvina Jones, Max Rosenak and Neo Veavea