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A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

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Original title

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

Year

2006

Running time

98 min.

Country

United States

Director

Dito Montiel

Screenwriter

Dito Montiel. Novel: Dito Montiel

Cast

Music

Jonathan Elias, Jimmy Haun, David Wittman

Cinematography

Eric Gautier

Producer

First Look Studios, Belladonna Productions, Original Media, Xingu Films

Genre

Drama | Independent Film (US). Crime. 1980s. Teen/coming-of-age

Synopsis

Dito is a successful writer living in Los Angeles, who is summoned home to Astoria after a 15-year absence when his father becomes seriously ill. Memories of his youth come flooding back as he revisits the old neighborhood, attempts to rebuild a relationship with his father and encounters his 'saints'--Dito's few childhood friends who aren’t in prison or dead. As Dito finds himself whisked back into the youthful events that shaped him, an unforgettable cast of characters unfolds to the sweltering heat of summer 1986. These include Laurie, Dito's childhood sweetheart; Mike O'Shea, a transplanted Scot with an Irish name who dreams of becoming a punk rock musician; Giuseppe, a reckless, destructive and possibly insane member of Dito's street posse; and the unforgettable Antonio, Dito's cocky and volatile best friend grappling with an abusive father.

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Awards: 2006: Sundance: Best Director Drama. Jury Special Prize Best reparto

2006: Gijon Film Festival: Best Actor (shared with all his male cast)

2006: New York Film Critics Circle: Nominated for Best First Film

2006: National Board of Review (NBR): Top Independent Films of the Year

2006: Independent Spirit Awards: 3 Nominations including Best First Screenplay

2006: Gotham Awards: nominated to Breakthrough Actor/Actress.

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Critics' reviews

"Though the picture is wrenching, at times devastating, it leaves you with that buoyant feeling of having encountered a raw, authentic work of art."

A. O. Scott: The New York Times
"This is an exceptionally assured debut, and Montiel exhibits rare care with editing and sound design. His real forte, though, is casting"

Ann Hornaday: The Washington Post
"Montiel creates a movie of many parts that don't always congeal (...) the effect is one of a fabulous acting showcase more than a wholly finished work."

Robert Koehler: Variety
"This superbly acted, gritty little movie, which at its best recalls early Scorsese, very vividly portrays a time and place"

Lou Lumenick: New York Post
"Like the boys, Montiel's first film is rough and uneven, with more energy than it knows what to do with. But it still manages to feel fresh and authentic"

Dana Stevens: Slate

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A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

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