Bratt balances machismo and humor in ‘La Mission’
Until Benjamin Bratt started playing William Banks in
”
The Cleaner,
”
I thought of him mostly as a good-looking guy who was really
funny as Sandra Bullock’s love interest in
”
Miss Congeniality.
”
I never watched him on
”
Law and Order
”
and I’ve only seen a few of his movies without Bullock.
But in
”
The Cleaner,
”
a series about a former addict who has turned his life into a
quest to help other addicts go straight, Bratt showed that he could
play a complicated character. The role served as a perfect warm-up
for Bratt’s latest film, which opens in limited release in the Bay
Area today.
Bratt balances machismo and humor in ‘La Mission’
Until Benjamin Bratt started playing William Banks in “The Cleaner,” I thought of him mostly as a good-looking guy who was really funny as Sandra Bullock’s love interest in “Miss Congeniality.” I never watched him on “Law and Order” and I’ve only seen a few of his movies without Bullock.
But in “The Cleaner,” a series about a former addict who has turned his life into a quest to help other addicts go straight, Bratt showed that he could play a complicated character. The role served as a perfect warm-up for Bratt’s latest film, which opens in limited release in the Bay Area today.
I saw “La Mission” a month ago at the Cinequest Film Festival. Bratt was the recipient of a Cinequest Maverick Spirit Award and the movie was shown before he sat down for a Q&A with Jennifer Siebel Newsom (visit http://melissa-movielines.blogspot.com for a story on the event.)
The movie was a family affair for the Bratt clan, who grew up in San Francisco’s Mission District. Peter Bratt, Benjamin’s brother, directed the film and Bratt’s wife Talisa Soto, also had a small role in the film.
“Ben and I are from San Francisco and we wanted to make a film about our favorite neighborhood,” Peter said at the screening. “We grew up in the ’60s and ’70s and there was a lot of activism.”
Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt) is a multi-faceted character who is torn between his family, his friends and his culture in “La Mission.” Che is a single father, a bus driver and a recovering alcoholic. From his many jail-style tattoos, it’s clear Che has been in prison long before any character on the screen mentions it. His son Jesse (Jeremy Ray Valdez) is a smart kid, on the honor roll, and he is his father’s pride and joy.
But Che lives in a world that is changing rapidly around him – from the gentrification of his neighborhood – including a new, outspoken female neighbor and the gang members carrying guns on his street. He finds comfort in his Friday night cruises in the low-rider cars he refinishes on the weekends. He first got into cars when his son Jesse expressed an interest as a little boy. For fans of classic cars, the movie has some stellar footage of cars from a Bay Area low-rider club as well as some classic R&B music.
Jesse has new interests in life, and they clash with his father’s machismo ideals about what makes a man a man. Che comes to blows with his son when he discovers a picture of Jesse kissing another boy, Jordan (Max Rosenak). The boy is only saved from being beat up even more by Lena (Erika Alexander, who some might remember as cousin Pam from old episodes of the “Cosby Show”), the neighbor, and Che’s friends. Lena tends to the teen until a family friend takes him in.
“We wanted a conflict story of a Latino family,” Peter said, of the film he wrote and directed.
Though Che might seem like a horrible parent, Peter Bratt wrote and directed the character so that he is almost sympathetic. Che is a man who has made mistakes in his past, but who has devoted the time since he became sober to his son – even his hobby is something that brings the two of them together. He is scared to death of what other people in his neighborhood will think of his son, and to some extent, he has reason to be scared. The serious topics in the movie are made bearable by the light moments that Peter Bratt draws out of his actors. Peter knew when to hold a tense moment through to the end, and when to turn it into a laugh. Che has a sense of humor and that makes him likeable, or at least more relatable.
While Bratt steals the show in “La Mission,” Valdez and Alexander do a great job in their supporting roles. Lena provides Che an opportunity to see his volatile behavior through the eyes of someone else. It’s an image he doesn’t seem to like, but that he doesn’t know how to change. Even when he is at risk of losing his son, he can’t seem to let go of the machismo with which he grew up.
The film was made on a shoe-string budget, in 26 days, so those interested in seeing it should head to the theater soon. The film is playing at the Camera 12, in San Jose, the AMC Mercado in Santa Clara, and select theaters throughout the greater Bay Area, starting today.
