On The Outs

Many of the tales detailing hardship in the ghetto have always been told from the perspective of males, with their female counterparts often typecast as backstabbing, man chasing bitches or rather powerless and abused young mothers who stay truthful to their men; while this very black and white perspective is truth for some it's interesting to see a reverse of sorts in the powerfully female driven On The Outs. The harrowing film trades the perspectives of three young women and their experiences growing up in Jersey City, surrounded by drugs, shaky promises of hope and love and erratic family life.

The film pulls no punches in introducing our three leading ladies"”Suzette, Oz and Marisol"”and their perilous world filled with pitfalls and dead-ends. Although each has their own individual story to tell, their paths are seemingly interconnected and revolve around the people in the neighborhood they share. The outset of the film has a sheltered fifteen-year old Suzette (strong debut from Anny Mariano) fall hard for a local hustler named Terrell, who turns her into a runaway; Oz (beautiful Judy Marte) as a small time hustler that has repeated stints in juvenile hall; and Marisol (Paola Mendoza) as a crack addicted mother with a four-year old daughter named Autumn. Throughout the film the three try to battle their personal demons as well as confront those of their family, which inevitably carry life-changing repercussions.

The film's screenwriter and co-director Lori Silverbush does an excellent job of penning a script that is both taut and gritty. The dialogue is sharp and the motivations of the characters are on point, and along with co-director Michael Skolnik (director of brethren Fader film Hooked) disguises the "fiction" of the film so well it plays more like a documentary than a feature film. Part of the inspiration for the film came from a collection of experiences from a number of incarcerated juveniles giving the film both substance and candor that adds layers of tension to a film already overflowing with so much.

While kudos are due for three rousing performances from our leading ladies, Judy Marte's standout performance as Oz is not only emotionally stirring but her accompanying physical transformation is truly a spectacle in of itself. Sporting tightly wound cornrows and everything from oversized tracksuits to baggy hoodies, the tomboyish Oz has a swagger that has been previously reserved for Boyz n the Hood alumnus Ice Cube and Lawrence Fishburne, among others. Her impressive screen presence can be partly attributed to her borrowing from her "Raising Victor Vargas" character Juicy Judy, and while both undoubtedly share some qualities Martedoes a fantastic job in creating an interesting and new dynamic character without rehashing too much.

On the Outs proves that every story has more than one angle, has more than one way of unfolding. After watching

the film it slowly comes to fruition that it serves more as a hub to vent frustration and give flesh to the experiences of those living in situations undreamt by some and lived by many. With alarming frankness and crushing performances On the Outs may move people enough to start giving a damn.

Movie Grade: B