Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

johnnyboyz The opening shots of Raising Victor Vargas plant us behind the eyes of a female, a female who is fulfilling the role of another male's erotic affection, as the camera itself focuses square onto his expression. For a coming of age film, which revolves around a young and predominantly English speaking male, to begin in such a manner alludes to a later intelligence the film will go on to exhibit; its pulling of a one hundred and eighty on its audience under these terms of what's usual or might be expected under this premise to a scene intriguing. Ultimately, the audience is made to suffer the indignities of male longing via being placed behind a female's point of view and made to sit through what, to some, has plagued cinema since the latter days of Hollywood's classical era. It's a refreshing instance of a film turning things on its head, of mixing things up and trying to do something renowned or familiar in an unrenowned or unfamiliar way. To this extent, the opening captures the spirit of this determined film making effort, specifically in its regard to its characters and how it goes about depicting familiar material.The film is an independent American piece written and directed by Peter Sollett, a film shot on location across summer weeks in the American city of New York and preoccupied with depicting an array of characters in a Hispanic quarter of said city. At its heart, it is about a maturing process; a film playing out in a sweltering urban locale wherein the smart play appears to be to wrap the sofa so much is the desire to avoid those who often inhabit it from smelling out the apartment too much. It depicts the young man who filled the frame during that opening shot, and he is Victor Rasuk's titular Victor Vargas – someone who lives with a sister, brother and their grandmother in an apartment block but of whom also has a close circle of friends and acquaintances outside of this family unit.Vargas likes girls. He likes the idea of girls and the idea of people knowing he has the idea of liking girls – in spite of this, he remains on the outside looking in at them in regards to truthfully knowing any of them. You might say that it is during this opening scene that the confusion and scattergun nature of Victor's life in terms of the opposite sex is epitomised, for Victor inhabits the bedroom of a young female neighbour whom nobody thinks it attractive – fleeing in a panic when word rapidly gets out once he is spotted. So desperate is he for love and affection and all the things which come with possessing a girlfriend, that Victor had to 'sink' to a level that saw him go after this neighbour: something which threatens his masculinity with a two-pronged attack, in as much he didn't get the girl and now must live in ignominy at the fact going for a girl most could have was the easy, desperate option.A form of what he sees as redemption arrives in Judy Gonzalez (Marte), the local girl who ticks all the right boxes in terms of what the young male population are looking for, and a girl who's so aware of what her own looks encompass in terms of male encroachment that she is a staunch rejecter of most advances. "Who needs men, right?" she tells a close friend. She is, of course, the object of Victor's gaze at the local communal swimming pool; an unfortunate spot which will attract all the kids during this hot season but force them into wearing not very much as they attempt to battle the heat. Her response, as is with most men after having been the victim of a proverbial sizing up, is a resounding "No." Away from the central strand is Victor's brother, Nino - played by Rasuk's real-life younger brother Silvestre. Nino looks up to his brother's womanising ways, but epitomises a more righteous incarnation of the male gender: a boy on the brink of a certain stage in life who could sway into the fatuous, womanising ways of Victor or down a more righteous path. At the moment, he attends church and enjoys playing the piano – this is not only Victor's tale of how he can score Judy running in sync with what he learns along the way, but it is tells a story of how positive influence in this regard may change the dynamic of a younger head who idolises someone close to them.The film comes to depict Victor's changing attitudes; a character who comes a long way from inhabiting the bedroom of the local desperado romantic, because he just doesn't care with whom he is laid, and into someone who genuinely comes to like a certain someone else through naturalistic processes. It is a film challenging the nonsense of how Latino characters are often depicted as possessing more photogenic qualities than others, while there is a fascinating dynamic at the homestead involving his grandmother, whose traditional thoughts on all this stuff clashes vehemently with the early 21st Century, New York City based sexual politics. As far as American, English language films that go about depicting young love; sexuality and the like, Raising Victor Vargas hits the target.

The Hunter Why anyone would rate this unfavorably is beyond me? Loved this movie. All the talk about ethnicity I think was out of place. To me it was more a story of a grandmother trying to raise kids going into puberty yet still holding fast to her values, though she learns eventually to be flexible. And for those too crass or wounded to remember what innocence was like and coming to terms with trying to mature as a teenager, maybe they should watch this film till the'penny drops'and they 'get it!' Superb film, especially from a filmmaker just starting out.Judy Marte was extraordinary. Her eyes captivate and her face gives off this air of mystery. I found myself wanting to delve more into the character she was portraying by her acting. I hope more good roles come her way to showcase her talent. The entire cast were enjoyable.

mattbaxter524 True fans of film will love this authentic movie.I disagree with the trolls who are rating this movie a one-star and calling it unrealistic. While I don't have the background or come from the environment of the protagonists, I've spent many years working in lower income and working class neighborhoods and feel the acting was very real and representative of how teenagers behave. I don't know what the basis is for others' comments that the film is "unrealistic". The dialog is great.The low budget production value didn't bother me a bit. I felt that the natural lighting enhanced the character of the film. The focus was entirely on the story line and character development and not glitzy Hollywood propping or melodrama.I completely bought into the character's motivations and reactions. The acting was believable and impressive for new and non-actors.If your idea of good film is Transformers or Fast & Furious, then skip it. If you enjoy good character driven dramas, then see it.(Regarding the negative commenters being "trolls": click on their names and you will see most have no other reviews or only negative reviews.)

caniscandida This is a terrific little movie. It has very much a New Yorker perspective, and more specifically one belonging to this group of Latinos on the Lower East Side, from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, so how this plays outside NYC is anyone's guess. (In one rooftop scene, which must have been filmed in maybe the summer of 2001, there is a brief glimpse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center; and that puts it in a special category for us New Yorkers.) The writing and the acting are brilliant. All these characters are tough on the outside, extremely vulnerable within. Everything they say is an attack, a command, a mockery, a cajolery, a devious offense, a frightened defense. They are tough, and at times mean, but, more important, they are still lovable, and have begun to recognize how much they love one another.Highlights: the brilliance of the respective dialogues between the two young men (the hero and his buddy) and the two young women whom they are each wooing; the gorgeous affection for the faces and expressions of the central characters; the similarly gorgeous affection for the still developing but already fine bodies of the shirtless brothers; the warm golden lighting of the Guzman/Vargas apartment in many scenes, and of the amazing candle-lighting scene in the church; the poignant use of the same theme, now rendered to piano, which Woody Allen had made meaningful in "Hannah and Her Sisters," the second movement of the harpsichord concerto in F-minor, with its powerful octaves under the left hand.