Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

La Mission Blu-ray Movie Review

Benjamin Bratt stars in this emotionally overwrought but often devastating film written and directed by his little brother.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 4, 2010

Thomas Wolfe contributed a memorable phrase to the American lexicon when his posthumously published 1940 novel You Can’t Go Home Again debuted. The saying pithily summarizes the realization that the halcyon days of youth, that amber and/or rose-colored haze of memory, is more apt than not to end in disappointment and despair should actual locales be visited. The Bratt Brothers, writer-director Peter and his more famous elder sibling, actor Benjamin, obviously couldn’t care less about Wolfe’s warning, as they have structured their 2008 film La Mission (which they also co-produced) around their childhood neighborhood of San Francisco’s Mission District. The Bratts may indeed have their rose-colored glasses on with regard to the overarching portrayal of this region, but they also don’t shy away from some of the individual warts and boils, especially with regard to Benjamin’s character, Che Rivera (based on a real life buddy of the Bratts, who contributes some commentary in the one supplement included on this Blu-ray), an ex-con former alcoholic of brooding machismo who glories in his “low rider” rebuilt 1942 Chevy coupe, as well as the academic excellence of his son, Jes (Jeremy Ray Valdez). That relative peace and harmony on the domestic front is turned upside down and emotionally inside out when Che discovers Jes is gay. What plays out over the ensuing drama is frankly at times akin to a very special Lifetime movie, or a Hallmark Channel special with some nasty language and violence thrown in for good measure. Along with some stereotypical situations and less than convincing dialogue, however, there’s an honesty to La Mission which can’t easily be denied or forgotten, and it’s that aspect that gives the film its emotional resonance and power, despite its failings.

Benjamin Bratt stars as Che Rivera.

Peter Bratt is obviously a filmmaker with a social conscience, and he’s just as obviously one who takes his time developing projects. Both his 1996 effort Follow Me Home as well as La Mission from some 12 years later look into interracial divides and class and gender conflict, often with an unflinching eye. Where Bratt sometimes falls short, however, is in his discursive dialogue, which attempts to be casual, but which more often than not has an odd, patently fake ring to it. While parts of La Mission, typically the low key banter between Che’s low rider buddies, the Mission Boyz, can feel organic and relatively natural, other moments, especially the knock down, drag out fight between Che and Jes after Che discovers his son’s homosexuality, have the lurid appeal of a daytime soap opera at its most hysterical (in both senses of the word). In fact it’s in the repartee between Che and his buddies that the film finds its truest voice. Whether one of the guys is sheepishly relaying a message that his wife needs her Tupperware returned, or the guys are sitting in Che’s garage shooting the breeze, there’s a naturalness to these segments that is notably missing from the interchanges between Che and Jes. That’s a devastating problem with a film that really wants to focus on this father-son relationship, despite its larger aims to paint a portrait of an entire neighborhood.

Part of the problem here is there’s no ultimate motivation given for Che’s homophobia, other than the sneaking suspicion it’s part of his cultural zeitgeist. But why, for example, is Che so violently anti-gay when his best friend, who one would suppose was brought up in the same environment, takes Jes in and attempts to reconcile the father with the son? There are no clear answers given, or really even hinted at, in La Mission’s sometimes faltering screenplay, and that robs the film of some depth and nuance, especially in the audience’s understanding of the character of Che.

Despite these issues, La Mission is a gripping, involving and often very moving film, especially in the visceral performances of Bratt and Valdez. Despite the sometimes less than real feeling dialogue screenwriter Bratt has given the two characters, the performers themselves couldn’t be better, bringing a rawness and vulnerability to their work that is heartbreaking and at times devastating. If La Mission often telegraphs what’s coming from a mile or more off, the grittiness of these performances rises above the material and makes the film an unusually poignant experience. It’s especially interesting to see Bratt in such a demonstrative role, especially after his buttoned down work on Law and Order. If he occasionally struts a bit too much, evoking more Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever than a Latino ex-con in the Mission, his emotional truth is always spot on and gives La Mission its dramatic through line.

While the film struggles with its focal point, its disparate elements are in and of themselves quite engaging. Aside from the Mission Boyz and the Che-Jes situation, Che also gets involved with an emotionally fragile upstairs neighbor, well played by Erika Alexander. If this particular part of the film’s trifecta is probably the most cliché-ridden, as Alexander’s character Lena first loathes and then falls in love with Che, once again the credible acting elevates the triteness so that it’s at least partially forgivable. In fact it’s an interesting irony that La Mission portrays a homophobic male emotionally ill equipped to enter a heterosexual relationship, while his son is evidently happily ensconced in a love affair with a well to do Yuppie youth.

La Mission is best in its small moments, and there are many of those liberally sprinkled throughout the film. While gay rights activists may want to point to the film for its efforts to explicate the difficulties of coming out in a repressed family, the film itself really has broader ambitions, if those ambitions are not always fruitfully realized. This is a film of sterling performances and a good directorial hand at the helm; it simply could have benefited from some sharper writing.

La Mission Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

La Mission is offered in a nicely burnished, amber-hued glow courtesy of DP Hiro Narita, who captures both the sheen and grit of San Francisco in general and the Mission District in particular. The Blu-ray's AVC encoded 1080p image (1.78:1) supports this vision extremely well, with every crevass and gray hair on Bratt's face revealed in very sharp detail. Colors are also extremely bold throughout this piece, with everything from the gorgeously painted low rider cars to the evocative Aztec costumes worn by some shamans toward the end of the film bursting with brilliantly saturated color. Depth of field is also exceptional in the many outdoor scenes, helping to create a very immersive visual experience. Grain is natural looking, more noticeable in night shots than day, but giving the film a nice texture and depth. There are a couple of brief instances of shimmer on such items as grates and fences, but those were the only artifacts in an otherwise excellent video presentation.

La Mission Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Even better is La Mission's nicely robust lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Though a lot of this film is "kitchen sink drama," comprised of smaller dialogue scenes, the overall soundfield is amped up by the almost constant use of source music, which fills the surrounds and makes ample use of a thumping low end. There are some nice, if subtle, ambient effects as Che walks through various city streets, and the rumble of the low rider cars is presented with some effective LFE. Dialogue is crisp and clear, with some (but not all) of the Spanish dialogue featuring embedded English subtitles. While this is by its very nature an up close and personal dramatic film without a lot of opportunities for aural magnificence, La Mission's soundtrack is well detailed, extremely well recorded, and perfectly rendered here on this Blu-ray.

La Mission Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

A pretty good HD supplement called The Music of 'La Mission' (18:01) is presented, offering some insights into the heady mix of Tejano, rhythm and blues, rap and even ethnic Aztec music incorporated into the film. What really makes this an interesting featurette, though, is the inclusion of the "real" Che, the man on whom the Bratt brothers based their character.

La Mission Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Anyone who's had a rocky relationship with their parents will find something of their own experience in La Mission. But this film also paints a loving portrait of an entire neighborhood, one whose economic and familial dysfunctions can't ultimately harm its vibrant heart. If the film falters occasionally, especially in the screenplay, there's an abundance of emotion and some really superior acting here which overcomes these failings. Looking and sounding fantastic on Blu-ray, La Mission is recommended.