Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned)   CLICK HERE to buy from V.O.D. Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!

The Bronx, the 1990s: Brendan (Jimi Stanton) is a hard-working young deli employee. Eva (Princess Nokia) is the first in her family of Puerto Rican immigrants to apply for college. They both have their own problems, Brendan's mother (Erin Davie) is an alcoholic who's much more interested in having fun with her new boyfriend (Bryan Shany) while leaving it to Brendan to sort out his younger brother Conor (Stanley Somons), and Eva lovingly takes care of her mentally challenged brother Julio (Ivan Mendez) while trying to live up to her mother's very "traditional" expectations and trying to suppress her ambitions to become an actress. But when Brendan and Eva first meet, it's pretty much love on first sight, and even their different cultural and societal backgrounds can't keep them apart. But then Conor gets booked by the police and Julio falls out of his wheelchair while Brendan and Eva have been out on a (rather innocent) date, and suddenly their very young love faces a real challenge, but makes each of them individually ask themselves what they really want from life ...

Angelfish is above all else a very compelling drama about finding one's place in life, and even if the cultural differences between the leads are the actual catalyst of the conflict in this movie, the overriding theme seems universal, and my guess is everyone has at some point (or still is) lived through something somewhat similar to either or both of the protagonists - and that's thanks to a very subtle directorial effort that doesn't try to hammer its point home but rather lets it develop gradually, and a couple of very grounded lead performances that make their situations "real". Sure, a drama of this ilk is not everyone's cup of tea, but if you're up for a story like this, you'll be richly rewarded, as the film's not only food for thought but also manages to tell its story in a fittingly intimate way.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned)

The links below will take you just there!!!

Find Angelfish at the amazons ...   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.de Looking for imports? Find Angelfish here ...   eThaiCD.com Your shop for all things Thai

Thanks for watching !!!