La Mission
Before it was the trendy spot that it is know, the Mission neighborhood in San Francisco was simply La Mission, home to a thriving community of Latinos. Benjamin Bratt, a native of the area, returned to his roots to portray the machismo culture of the neighborhood that he grew up in. The film "La Mission" was a collaborative effort, written and directed by Benjamin's brother Peter Bratt.
"La Mission" tells the story of Che Rivera, played by Bratt, a neighborhood patriarch who cares for neighbors in need and acts as a community enforcer- someone who is both feared and respected. In a few key scenes, we see his quick temper as he goes from being gentle to raging mad in a matter of seconds. Che is the widowed father to a teenage son, Jess (played by Jeremy Ray Valdez), who causes an uproar when he reveals to his father that he is gay (I hope that that fact isn't a spoiler, since it is in many synopses of the movie). We then see Che try to deal with accepting his son and deal with his rage at the same time.
Meant to be a portrait of both the advantages and disadvantages of the machismo streak that runs through Latino culture- a fierce protectiveness of family and community on the one hand, and yet a tendency towards violence and rage on the other- "La Mission" also shows a side of San Francisco that most outsiders don't think of when they think of the City by the Bay. Los Angeles has East L.A. (and "Blood In Blood Out", also featuring Benjamin Bratt), South Texas has Selena, and now the home of San Francisco's Latino community has been captured on the big screen in "La Mission". Far from the cable cars, seafood vendors, and sailboats on the Bay, "La Mission" is a movie that will show non-San Franciscans (and maybe some San Franciscans, too) that there exists a vibrant neighborhood south of the Market Street hub. Also, some would think that the city is universally liberal and left-leaning, but this movie will also show that, just a few blocks north of the famous Castro district, is a bastion of socially conservative values.
Kudos to the Bratt brothers for filming "La Mission" in the neighborhood where they grew up, rather than attempting to capture the flavor of the neighborhood on a Hollywood soundstage (or a Vancouver backlot). The trailer for "La Mission" looks promising. The movie has been in limited release, but opens in wider release on April 16th. Whether you live in San Francisco and want to see the city on the big screen, or live far from the Bay and want a peek at one of the city's most happening neighborhoods, "La Mission" should be on your list of movies to see.
