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Welcome to the Real World Every once in a while a movie comes along that shows you something you didn't want to see, takes you to a place you didn't want to go to. Its beauty is achieved not by the cinematic styling of the filmmakers but by the genuine profundity of the truth the movie reveals. ON THE OUTS is an urban tapestry, the weaving together of the stories of three teen-age girls as they scratch, claw and stumble their way to troubled womanhood. It is a knife with a jagged edge, a street poem, a heart beating. It is a film about choices, the consequences of those choices, and second chances. There is so much love in the film it is almost overwhelming, and so much hopelessness it almost consumes. It is an untold story fiercely struggling its desperate way to the surface. It is not a perfect film but it is the love, finally, that makes the film so much more than the sum of its parts. ON THE OUTS follows the lives of Suzette, Marisol and Oz, three girls trying to make their uncertain way on the streets of Jersey City, New Jersey. There is no guide, no blueprint, no map for them so they are forced to make their choices based on their limited experience and their constantly changing wants and needs. The drug dealer Oz is by far the strongest of the three but like the others she is plagued by a terrible home situation, a brutal self-image and an awful confusion about where her life is going. Marisol is possibly in the most precarious position. She's strung out on crack without the resolve or resources to get out of her situation. She has a gorgeous young daughter, Autumn, and she loves her but the practical logistics of being a mother are beyond her, and her aging grandmother is no longer physically capable of being Autumn's primary caregiver. Something's got to give and pretty quickly, something does. Of the three Suzette seems to have the best home situation. Her father is gone but her mom cares and is a hard worker. Unfortunately, the absent parent might be the deciding factor that leads to her downfall. The three girls' lives criss-cross numerous times especially when all three land in a juvenile detention center. For the most part however, they all go their separate ways, reaching their separate fates and staring at their own separate futures...alone. Generally, it seems to be extremely difficult for films to portray life in the streets honestly, for what it is, without glamorizing it some kind of way. Not so here. The lack of sensationalism or pyrotechnics would feel refreshing, even exhilarating if the movie wasn't so dark. The poetry ON THE OUTS achieves is not from some seven minute tracking shot, moody cinematography or masterful editing. The directors, Lori Siverbush and Michael Skolnik take a documentary-style approach, letting the harsh lives speak for themselves. It's the right approach for what they're trying to achieve. It is telling that the movie only falters in the scenes of physical violence, where the action has to be staged. It is the only time the movie ever feels like it is being forced to play it safe. When it is just about the emotional truth of a given moment the film hits much harder. On the other hand, two scenes, one an 'accidental' murder and the other an impromptu game of Russian roulette are absolutely harrowing. Skolnik and Silverbush are well served by a stunning cast of committed young actors. Oftentimes it is hard to believe they are just acting. The three leads, Anny Mariano as Suzette, Paola Mendoza as Marisol and Judy Marte as Oz are all wonderful. Mariano's work is subtle and straightforward. In the closing moments we see the innocence lost in her dead eyes. Mendoza apparently lived much of the lives of these young women. It shows in her no-holds-barred performance. Marte in particular, has the makings of a star should she choose to go that route. Her drug dealer Oz, is smart, tough, sensitive, and palpably charismatic. Marte, brings a lot to the table as an actor. More than anything else she brings empathy. Though Oz plays everything closer to the vest than the other characters Marte manages to let us inside. She's a remarkable actor. It doesn't stop there. Don Parma, in a terrifically honest and economical performance, feels all the more dangerous by his young hustler's fierce energy and amorality. Likewise, Flaco Navaja, Marisol's crack-head boyfriend finds many layers within a stereotype making him more than just a human being, he's a human being we care about. Finally, Dominic Colon, as Oz's mentally impaired brother manages to hit it out of the park with a character laden with traps for an actor. He navigates them beautifully and with Marte, has the movie's only soaring moment. It is all the more poignant because of what happens afterward. ON THE OUTS was culled from the real live stories of at-risk, teen-age girls. This honesty and lack of glamorization gives the movie its power. It provides no answers, offers no easy solutions because there are none. It is hard to look at but leaves no doubt that it is necessary…and time. It ends with Oz, who has been the strongest and most self contained of everyone in the movie, having to make a choice. Our one hope for her is that of them all, she is the one who is most clearly a young woman now. email this review to a friend
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May 8, 2008 2:30 AM