GWB

A Numeric Pictures presentation of a GogoPatience Craft + Pictureshow production. Produced by Dave Steck, Jonathan Ullman. Co-producer, Aaron Levine. Directed, written by Jonathan Ullman.With: Rayniel Rufino, Luis Antonio Ramos, Raul Esparza, Antonio Ortiz, Alexandra Metz, Olga Merediz, Pablo Gonzalez, Cruz Santiago, Dominic Colon. (English, Spanish dialogue)A kid's carefree escapade snowballs into a crime that threatens everyone around him in Jonathan Ullman's debut feature, "GWB." Set under the titular bridge that dominates Gotham's Washington Heights cityscape, the pic follows the template of most NY-set Latino films, from its streetside domino players to its bodegas as neighborhood nerve centers. But the caution with which its hero, the kid's older brother, navigates an impossible situation gives "GWB" its own peculiar rhythm. The film's virtues may be too understated to project it beyond cable, but its quiet confidence and unassuming stylistic economy prove impressive in themselves. Helmer Ullman launches his characters into intersecting orbits before revealing the event that will throw them out of alignment. Diego (Rayniel Rufino), a sous chef at an expensive restaurant, prepares breakfast for younger bro Javy (Antonio Ortiz). Javy confers with his best pal and co-conspirator, Robbie (Cruz Santiago), before picking up assorted canines for his dog-walking gig. Diego's g.f., Ana (Alexandra Metz), discovers she's pregnant and sets out to inform the unsuspecting papa-to-be. Though the primal act that triggers all subsequent happenings is kept offscreen, bits and pieces of info slowly filter through. Apparently, the night before, Javy and Robbie ignited illegal fireworks in a building that also housed drugs and money. In the ensuing blaze, someone died, a mountain of dope went up in flames and the kids ran off with a sackful of money. Surveillance cameras clearly captured them in the act, and the druglords whose warehouse they inadvertently torched are hot on their trail. Desperate to save Javy from lethal consequences, Diego summons family and friends: Young compadres arrive with guns, and older folks with baseball bats, gathering in solidarity to protect one of their own. Diego then weighs a wide spectrum of possible solutions to his dilemma, some more feasible than others, from absconding with the money to physically eliminating the gangster threat. In Diego, Ullman has created a character who thinks on his feet, even when surrounded by a bevy of impatient helpers. Carefully negotiating each step, he inches his way forward with a mixture of guts and brains, insisting or compromising as his own moral compass and the situation warrant, and repping a very different kind of heroism than anyone around him is accustomed to. All recognize his power, however, including the insolent drug kingpin (a swaggeringly amused Raul Esparza), who wants to employ him. Thesping is uniformly convincing in its laid-back way; as the local bodega owner, vet character actor Luis Antonio Ramos conjures the entire history of the neighborhood in a single glance over his wire-rimmed glasses. Austin Schmidt's HD lensing sharply delineates day and night in time-driven compositions.Camera (color, HD), Austin Schmidt; editor. Patty Schumann; music, Hex Hector; music supervisor, Anthony Palmini; production designer, Alex Brook Lynn; costume designer, Brandon Atherley; sound, Josh Allen; casting, Judy Henderson. Reviewed on DVD, NY, Sept. 30, 2011. (In NY Latino Film Festival.) Running time: 89 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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