A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints

This autobiographical coming of age drama written and directed by Dito Montiel won several awards at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, including a Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Performance. It's set in a tough Queens neighborhood in the height of the 80's (the summer of 1986) and revolves around a teenage version of Dito Montiel and his gang of street hardened friends. The story is told through flashbacks experienced by a 30 something Dito, who is on his way home for the first time since '86.

The story is based on the book of the same name, written by Dito Montiel. I hear the book is even better but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. The story in the movie is decent, but the real draw is the cast and the superb acting. I was drawn deeply into each of the characters and after the movie was over I found myself reading an interview with Dito Montiel to find out what happened to each main character after the fateful summer. Knowing this it's based on a true story and real people makes the characters more fascinating although Montiel readily states he took extreme 'liberties' in his account of events and characters. Most of the effects are good but there is one short part of the film where each of the kids speaks directly to the camera. That kind of thing bothers me because it really ruins the illusion for me, but here it is short and to the point and doesn't really take away much from the film.