This is an emotional whirlwind through New York City and the colorful characters within. The film is presented in segments and takes you into the urban jungle... into the different boroughs, and into some of its 'not for tourists' neighborhoods, apartments and homes, where you are introduced to the people whose connectedness make up the web of this story. The main character, Alberto is quirky and awkward, and while he is very funny, also shows his pain and struggle and ultimately his broad range as an actor. Alejandro Santoni is wonderful in this role, and has you engaged during every minute of the film. When it starts, the film has a staccato like feel.. its moving from chapter to chapter quickly, .. but when Marina, played by Julie Voshell, enters, the energy of the piece shifts into a more grounded, expansive state. Her character has a tough exterior, but throughout the movie you see and feel her vulnerability. Its in her words, her face, her eyes...Voshell is a great actress who has the capacity to bring you with her on the emotional ride. I knew what she was thinking, what she was feeling because I was feeling it too. Alberto and Marina have chemistry that is off the charts which added another dimension to this already fantastic screenplay and film. I can honestly say that their last scene together was one of the most honest moments that I have seen on film. This ran the gamut of emotion, of places, people and things.. and the director/writer Chris Shimojima challenges some of the boundaries of film making, and isn't it about time?? He brilliantly presents a sort of structured chaos, that for a split second was slightly disorienting, but then I realized that it was actually the momentum needed to tell and understand his story. Bravo!
Review of Alberto and the Concrete Jungle
