‘La Mission’ opens L.A.’s gay and lesbian OutFest film festival

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Outfest, the 27th annual Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, opens tonight at the Orpheum Theatre with Peter Bratt’s drama ‘La Mission,’ starring his brother, Benjamin Bratt, Screening Room reports.

Here’s the Sundance Film Festival write-up of the feature:

‘Set in the colorful, seedy streets of the San Francisco district that bears its name, La Mission is a story of redemption imbued with the curative power of Aztec tradition. Feared, yet respected, as the baddest Chicano on the block, Che (Benjamin Bratt), a reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, resorts to violence and intimidation to get what he wants.

‘A bus driver by day, Che lives for his beloved son, Jesse, his lifelong friends, and his passion for lowrider cars. Che and the ‘Mission Boyz’ salvage junked cars, transforming them into classics.

‘Che’s macho world is crushed when he discovers that Jesse’s been living a secret life. In a violent rage, Che pummels Jesse and throws him out of the house. Lena, an attractive neighbor and a force to be reckoned with, is a woman with a few secrets of her own.

‘Mutual attraction percolates as Lena challenges Che to reconcile the life he thought he had. Sundance veteran Peter Bratt (Follow Me Home) returns with a powerful second feature.

‘Propelled by commanding performances from Jeremy Ray Valdez as Jesse and Erika Alexander as Lena — and featuring an exceptional turn by Benjamin Bratt — La Mission is a haunting story of healing and transformation: the healing of a broken man, of a father’s relationship with his son, and of a neighborhood struggling to break the chains of violence.’

Sounds like one to watch.

You can read more about Outfest on LATimes.com here.

La Mission’s Facebook page, where you can read press coverage and reviews, is here.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City