Pinero
Taking a pay cut and dropping out of the public eye to star in an obscure film about the obscure pseudo-celebrity Miguel Pinero was the best professional decision Benjamin Bratt ever made.
Bratt's performance is brilliant. A quarter of the way through the film, Bratt's body seems to be acting as the host for Pinero's soul. And, if you know anything about the larger-than-life persona of Pinero, this is not an easy feat.
Miguel Pinero was a boy when his single mother relocated her five children to Manhattan from Puerto Rico. After a rough and ugly childhood on the street, Pinero found himself a druggie and thief in Sing-Sing. However, it was in prison that he found his voice.
Upon leaving Sing-Sing, Pinero cleaned up at the 1974 Tony awards with his play "Short Eyes" based on his time there.
Pinero's life, exploits, talent and character are overwhelming and explosive, but Bratt does not resist these qualities in order to craft his own interpretation. Instead, he seems to resign himself to the fact that no performance can be brighter than Pinero's own performance on earth (Pinero died in 1988 at age 41). As a result, Bratt's portrayal is mesmerizing, authentic and quite an accomplishment.
Because Pinero is a biopic, its sensational events are viewed with a grave horror at the dark sides of reality that usually go unseen. Shot in both a documentary and narrative style, director Leon Ichaso sticks to the truth, while inserting pieces of his own interpretation.
As a boy on the streets of NYC and later as an adult, Pinero bears witness to the cruelties of poverty and addiction as does the viewer. Juxtaposed between periods of success and celebrity, his literary accomplishments and super-human talents become that much more awesome.
Although the film isn't a breakthrough, the performances are. Talisa Soto's portrayal of Pinero's girlfriend is commendable and surprising.
If interested in learning about Pinero the man, this film is the best reference. One quickly sees a dynamic force such as this is impossible to convey on a page, and truly belongs on the silver screen.
Written by: Laura Thomas
Reviewers Rating: 7.5
Reader's Rating: 8.22
Reader's Votes: 9
Added: 6-Oct-2002
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