For decades the Mission has held a special allure— its colorful murals, its live street music, the smell of delicious Latin American cuisine. It’s no wonder the Mission has been hailed by travel magazines as one of the best neighborhoods in the world to live in—the cultural nexus and epicenter of San Francisco’s increasingly dwindling Mexican, Central and South American communities.
Now that the movie “La Mission” is out in major release, the fascination with the neighborhood named after the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis leaps on to the big screen.
“La Mission,” written and directed by Peter Bratt and starring his brother, Benjamin, opened April 12. It shows a snapshot of what life is like for the generations of Latinos who call the Mission home—the good and the bad. The story revolves around the life of Che, a reformed ex-con who grew up near 24th St. His character, while devout in his desire to better himself often succumbs to bouts of rage and anger. Over the years, he’s dealt with the challenges brought on by gentrification, violence and alcoholism, all of which he seems to navigate while maintaining his explosive anger in check, that is, until he discovers that his son, Jes, is gay. Let’s just say that Che doesn’t take the news well.
The story is an accurate reflection of the families that inhabit the Mission, complete with dialog that you’d overhear on door stoops throughout the neighborhood. All of the characters in the film are based on people that the Bratt Brothers grew up with.
This project is a not-so-subtle love letter from the Bratt brothers to their childhood stomping ground. It’s an homage bursting at the seams with gratitude and pride. And true to the Bratts’ altruistic reputation, extreme measures were taken to include the local community. Many of the actors and extras are Mission natives, a good chunk of who were first-time actors to boot.
“There were literally hundreds that we wanted to include in the movie but we just couldn’t.” said Peter in an interview with El Tecolote. “During auditions we were rooting for them.”
Benjamin adds, “It was fun to watch them audition since they aren’t professional actors they were just being themselves. “
Some of the extras who had scenes paying tribute to the youth killed as a result of the gang violence in Mission are the actual surviving family members of victims, showing immense bravery while sharing their lives’ most painful ordeal. That courage helped produce an eerily powerful movie that was at times hard to watch. Benjamin’s performance as a overly self-assured tattoo-laden recovering alcoholic who’s always just a few words shy of throwing a punch is commendable. And despite this angry, hyper-masculine persona, his character’s vulnerability came through on the screen. Perhaps this is why many critics say this is Benjamin’s best work.
The story written by Peter Bratt explains how a person raised to constantly look over his shoulder can also find laughter and appreciation for the simple things surrounding him. The backdrop of low riders, sunshine, family and oldies music is precisely the environment that any Mission native can attest too. It makes any viewer who didn’t grow up in the neighborhood feel like they were missing out.
Sticking to their plan of making this a community project, the movie included local Aztec dancers. “There are four dancing groups in the Mission,” said Peter. “We decided to use all four of them”
And true to any business endeavor in the Mission, the Bratts ensured the project receive a native blessing before production—performed by Concha Saucedo, former excutive director of the Instituto Familiar de la Raza.
The brothers are extremely close. Throughout the interview, they would finish each other’s sentences, drift into their own conversation, or spontaneously laugh at inside jokes, making it difficult for this reporter to not only remember who said what, but to remember that this was an actual interview.
La Mission is a gutsy, truthful and, at times, intense portrayal of San Francisco’s predominantly Latino neighborhood. It’s no surprise that it played to standing ovations before film festival audiences around the world, including Sundance. This movie is a gift of recognition.
La Mission is now playing in theaters across the nation.