Gun Hill Road follows Enrique (Esai Morales) as he comes home to his family in the Bronx after three years in prison. Things have changed quite a bit during that time with Enrique’s wife Angela (Judy Reyes of “Scrubs”) and his teen son Michael (Harmony Santana). Angela has been having an affair and Michael is going through a sexual transformation.
Gun Hill Road follows Enrique (Esai Morales) as he comes home to his family in the Bronx after three years in prison. Things have changed quite a bit during that time with Enrique’s wife Angela (Judy Reyes of “Scrubs”) and his teen son Michael (Harmony Santana). Angela has been having an affair and Michael is going through a sexual transformation.
Enrique’s welcome home isn’t as enthusiastic as he has hoped. His wife is distant and resentful, while Michael is never around. The teen escapes the stress of his home life by hanging out with a tight knit group of friends and by expressing his feelings by performing poetry at a local club, which he does in drag as “Vanessa.”
The determined father tries to reach out to his son by inviting him to a ball game and to play ball along with some family friends. Michael resists and his mother defends him when Enrique starts to demand that Michael do more masculine activities. The frustrated father doesn’t know how to deal with his son and even forces him to go to a prostitute.
Enrique is also stressed about his work life. The career criminal is forced to walk the straight and narrow by his parole officer (Isiah Whitlock Jr.). He finds work in a kitchen and soon butts heads with his boss.
Michael is trying to deal with his father while secretly meeting with an older woman who’s been through the change and sells him medication and gives him advice. She also gives him injections to plump up his booty. In addition, the teen is having his first sexual relationship with a guy he met while performing poetry and is going through the ups and downs of first love.
Writer/director Rashaad Ernesto Green’s first feature film shows Enrique struggling to understand what is going on in his family and his homophobia, while also following Michael through his transformation.
The portrayal of Michael/Vanessa by newcomer Harmony Santana is especially moving and the actor recently went through transformation surgery herself. Judy Reyes portrayal of Angela is extremely heart warming as a mother who will do anything to defend and protect her child.
Gun Hill Road opens on September 16 at O Cinema and The Tower Cinema in Miami and Gateway 4 in Fort Lauderdale.
INFO:
Gun Hill Road
Opens Sept. 16
– O Cinema and The Tower Cinema in Miami
– Gateway 4 in Fort Lauderdale
