Lowriders is a culture I knew precious little about. That is the beauty of films in that no matter what type of movie you watch there is always the opportunity to learn something. Though the humans involved in this story are different from the culture I come from you, if you look beyond the drama and cars, see that family is paramount to them.
To be honest I expected your typical crappy straight to video stuff with Lowriders, which was directed by Ricardo de Montreuil. Instead I was surprised to drawn into the drama right from the beginning. The story is simple though it makes up for that with plenty of emotion. There is a message here.
Despite the fact that this is a film concerned with the lowrider culture and Mexican-American community because the family drama is so universal the story can be enjoyed and related to by anyone. A son’s struggle for acceptance. A father trying to heal after a trauma. A mother trying her best to keep her family together.
Being of Mexican heritage living in East Los Angeles brings about its own kind of baggage. Such is the case with talented street artist Danny (played by Gabriel Chavarria). He has got some family issues. He and his father (played by Demian Bechir), a recovering alcoholic and garage owner, rarely see eye to eye on anything. The family has had its problems since Miguel’s wife and Danny’s mother died. Miguel has remarried, but the family is still fractured.
Danny, who is trying to find his own identity, is caught between the life of his older ex-con brother Ghost (played by Theo Rossi) and the lowrider culture his father is enmeshed in. Art is the way he expresses himself and it brings him onto the path of fellow artist Lorelei (played by Melissa Benoist). Art and the lowrider culture come together for Danny when Ghost asks him to paint something on his car which he is entering into a big competition.
Special Features:
-Digital Copy
-Lowriders: Art, Love, and Family
-Ghost’s Arrival
-The Culture of Lowriders
