Spoken Word (2009)
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46% of critics liked it
(13 reviews) -
44% of users liked it
(94 ratings)
From acclaimed director Victor Nunez ("Ulee's Gold"), SPOKEN WORD tells the story of Cruz Montoya (Kuno Becker, from the "Goal!" trilogy and "From Mexico With Love"), a rock star on the West Coast poetry circuit, where audiences from San Diego to Seattle gather to… More From acclaimed director Victor Nunez ("Ulee's Gold"), SPOKEN WORD tells the story of Cruz Montoya (Kuno Becker, from the "Goal!" trilogy and "From Mexico With Love"), a rock star on the West Coast poetry circuit, where audiences from San Diego to Seattle gather to hear him perform. Just off the road from a successful tour, Cruz gets an unexpected call alerting him that his father, Senior (played by Rubén Blades), is fatally ill. Cruz rushes home to his dying father, a reclusive former schoolteacher still leading a traditional life in their once bucolic mountain valley, now ravaged by poverty, drug abuse, and violence. After years away, Cruz quickly begins to retreat into his troubled former life, managing a Santa Fe hip-hop club owned by a local crime boss, Emilio (Miguel Sandoval, "Bottle Shock" and "Clear and Present Danger"), who Senior used to run with back in the day. Seduced by the fast action and easy money, Cruz loses his poetic voice, his identity, and almost his life, before he finds a way to heal his relationships with his family, his community, and himself. A nuanced depiction of an evolving father-son relationship, SPOKEN WORD depicts the edgy collision of old and new worlds in a rare, authentic portrait of Latino culture in the Southwest, illustrating how cultural roles and machismo can give way when families can move beyond words, both spoken and unspoken, to share the language of their hearts. -- (C) Official Site
- Directed By
- Victor Nuñez
- Written By
- William T. Conway
- Genres
- Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jul 23, 2010 Limited
- Studio
- Variance Films
Critic Reviews
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
[A] rich and textured film.
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Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
Maddeningly ruled by signposts spotted from miles away.
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Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Features more cliches than it can comfortably handle and is not helped by its grindingly slow pacing.
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Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Strongly acted and beautifully photographed (by Virgil Mirano), "Spoken Word" is a quietly resonant family drama about the tug of old habits and the difficulties of escaping the past.
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Prairie Miller, WBAI Radio
A uniquely crafted introspective yet profoundly visceral film experience, touching on the healing powers of the music in language.
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Cast
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Kuno Becker
as Cruz, Cruz Montoya
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Ruben Blades
as Senior, Senior Montoya
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Miguel Sandoval
as Emilio
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Persia White
as Shae
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Antonio Elias
as Ramon
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Monique Curnen
as Gabrielle
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Rashaan Nall
as Cloudy
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Jernard Burks
as Renegade
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Maurice Compte
as George
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Castulo Guerra
as Dr. Lopez
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Johnnie Hector
as Luis
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Andre Jamal Kinney
as Roberto
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Courtney Cunningham
as Robin
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Stephen Eiland
as Big Mike
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Deborah Chavez
as Candace
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Jerry G. Angelo
as Tomás, Tomás, Tom
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Nya Marie Serano
as Rebecca
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Brandon Zaragoza
as Paul
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Laurence Chavez
as Toby
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Arron Shiver
as Orderly
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Beth Bailey
as Reporter
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Rick A. Ortega, Jr.
as Sandoval
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Joe Manuel Gallegos Jr.
as Aragon
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Sophia M. Garcia
as Mrs. Maestas
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Julio Omar González
as Priest
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Myrna I. Vigil
as Josephine
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Casey Messer
as Cheryl
