I decided I needed to watch Raising Victor Vargas when I found out that
it was shot by Tim Orr, who did David Gordon Green's George Washington.
Although Raising Victor Vargas is a different sort of film--funnier,
faster, and shot in Lower East Manhattan rather than rural North
Carolina--I wasn't disappointed. The cinematography was beautiful, not
in an aching, lingering way, but in these sudden, surprising moments
that you feel in your throat and then they're gone.
But what I liked best about the film was its characters, as played by
the mostly non-professional cast. Victor, his grandmother, and Judy's
best friend Melonie are especially rich and endearing. Much of the
film's dialogue is improvised, which I generally think of as a neat
experiment that doesn't always work out so well. In this case, with
such strong personalities in the cast, the effect is perfect.
Finally, Victor's story is made up of all the most real stuff of
life--humor, mishaps, frustration, disappointment, love and a wonderfully
strange collection of people. Life lessons about honesty and
family and being true to yourself are all there, amazingly poignant
without being a bit heavy-handed.