For a city our size, Phoenix really doesn't get a whole lot of films that aren't super mainstream, multi-million dollar budget affairs. So let's celebrate this one.
While La Mission may not be playing everywhere, it isn't one that would easily slip under the radar of a serious film buff. It stars Benjamin Bratt as a respected man of his community in the Mission district of San Francisco, known for his tough exterior and troubled past, which includes time in prison and an alcohol addiction. As a single father, when he finds out that his son Jes is gay he quickly disowns him. Later he must grapple with his own sense of masculinity and pride, as well as his need and desire to be a good father.
Acclaimed author Alice Walker raves, "It is extraordinary. A film of Now, a film for us, for the emerging consciousness of what needs to happen in the heart and conscience for humanity to evolve beyond violence. All the stars. Not five or six or ten." The film is also being promoted by Phoenix's Desperado Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
La Mission opens this Friday, June 11 at the AMC Arizona Center and Mesa Grande, and at Harkins Arizona Mills.
