An aspiring mugger attempting his first stickup job has a lot to worry about. There’s a million ways that a sidewalk robbery could go wrong, from a target turning violent and pulling a gun to police catching the crime and making an arrest. But nobody ever thinks about the humiliating possibility that the would-be victim is completely unfazed by the criminal’s attempts at intimidation and simply takes pity on them.
That’s what happens in an early scene in “Story Ave” when Kadir (Asante Blackk), a shy teenager who clearly has no business getting involved with street crime, attempts to jump a stranger on the subway. A promising young painter, Kadir desperately wants to become a crew member of a local gang and graffiti collective that runs his corner of the Bronx. He’s much more interested in the spray painting — which the crew sees as “modern hieroglyphics...
That’s what happens in an early scene in “Story Ave” when Kadir (Asante Blackk), a shy teenager who clearly has no business getting involved with street crime, attempts to jump a stranger on the subway. A promising young painter, Kadir desperately wants to become a crew member of a local gang and graffiti collective that runs his corner of the Bronx. He’s much more interested in the spray painting — which the crew sees as “modern hieroglyphics...
- 9/29/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Near the end of Aristotle Torres’ assured feature debut “Story Ave,” a title card comes up on the screen, noting the film is “by The Bronx.” It’s a short moment, leading into the end credits, but it nevertheless speaks volumes to the textured approach that Torres gives to a film that, at least in its outline form, could feel cliché. A narrative about a gifted young artist Kadir (Asante Blackk), who falls into a gang as a result of buried trauma revolving around this family, only to be pulled out by a kind, lonely, older man Luis (Luis Guzmán) might have the surface trappings of a move-of-the-week, but Torres brings out enough stylistic flourishes and lived-in performances to elevate “Story Ave” into being one of the undersung movies of the year so far.
Read More: ‘Story Ave’ Trailer: Luis Guzmán & Asante Blackk Star In A Touching Tale About Growing...
Read More: ‘Story Ave’ Trailer: Luis Guzmán & Asante Blackk Star In A Touching Tale About Growing...
- 9/28/2023
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Playlist
Naming a young Black man’s story after a transport stop gives off strong Fruitvale vibes, but Aristotle Torres’ feature debut reaches back further to the hip-hop morality tales of the early ’90s, like Boaz Yakin’s Fresh or Ernest Dickerson’s Juice — the wave that immediately followed John Singleton’s influential Boyz n the Hood. Surprisingly, given Torres’ history of videos for the likes of Ludacris and Nas, the soundtrack is light on rap, using unexpected needle drops like Pavarotti’s version of “La Donna e Mobile” to score scenes of spray-can anarchy on the New York subway.
In all other ways, however, Story Ave is very much a ’hood movie, in the sense that its young protagonist is both constrained and defined by the place where he lives, in this case the Bronx. That person is Kadir (Asante Blackk), a talented young artist tormented by the recent death of his disabled little brother.
In all other ways, however, Story Ave is very much a ’hood movie, in the sense that its young protagonist is both constrained and defined by the place where he lives, in this case the Bronx. That person is Kadir (Asante Blackk), a talented young artist tormented by the recent death of his disabled little brother.
- 3/17/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
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