Directed by: Laura Somers
Written by: David Saldaña and Laura Somers
Starring: Gerardo M. Velasquez, Justin Rodriguez, Michelle Magallon, Ulysses Montoya, Naome Antoinette, Alessandra Mañon
One of the most unique film experiences I’ve had is with an independent film called “Rich Kids.”
Premiering at the Phoenix Film Festival in 2018, most of the cast and crew were in attendance and you could hear the joy, laughter and pride behind the work that the team put into this film.
That’s why it so deservedly won the Ensemble Cast Award for that year.
During the Q & A following the screening, writer-director Laura Somers mentioned that the story she co-wrote with David Saldaña was based on a real-life incident that happened to her in her Houston home. Building around her own life story, the writing duo depicted a group of teens in a poorer section of Houston who take up residence in a more affluent neighborhood, that of “los ricos.”
The most interesting aspect of “Rich Kids” is the way in which its character-driven story progresses through a natural change in perspective.
Somers defines the film’s hard-hitting narrative from the very first frame; Matias (Gerardo Velasquez) is forced to stand up for himself from a father who has all but abandoned him and a mother who supports the family but cannot get through to her husband that he must be a provider. The brunt of Matias’s home life is intentionally shocking, but not unexpected; the living conditions of his family’s abode are in disrepair and not well-maintained. Yet, there is a lot of love felt within the family.
The perspective changes as we share Matias’s journey. Somers was very careful to frame Matias as a stand-up individual while remaining a prankster. It is easy to see Matias as being friends with Steve (Justin Rodriguez), a lanky teenager who is the opposite of Matias; when we first meet Steve, his cousin Carlos (Ulysses Montoya) is teaching him to hotwire a car. Steve, who is more concerned with playing Grand Theft Auto, commonly referred to as GTA, can’t hack the demands Carlos puts on him, in order to “toughen him up.” Matias’s easy-going nature is such that he can relate to both Steve and Carlos, yet, we are acutely aware that Matias wants more than simply the confines of the neighborhood in front of him.
Eventually, Matias and Steve work their way toward “los ricos”: a sanctuary from the repressed lives they are forced to live, with a pool and the luxuries that the rich can afford. The house is the centerpiece of the film and highlights the perspective from which the story is told; by Matias’s standards, the home is a castle.
The house is also a barrier, one that is easily surmounted. Matias’s objective is clear, though Steve is still shy about taking advantage of their fortunes.
Once the barrier is breached, Matias and Steve enjoy all the amenities offered by “los ricos.” It is not long before Vanessa (Michelle Magallon), Isabel (Naome Antoinette) and Jasmin (Alessandra Mañon) are at the gate, also looking to enjoy the oasis. Somers wastes no time in developing each of the three ladies, piecing together relationships, especially once Carlos shows up.
A game of “Truth or Dare” reveals quite a bit about each of the characters, their motivations, their desires. Vanessa is painted as someone who thinks beyond her means: very intelligent, thoughtful. Isabel is reserved and is also very intelligent. Jasmin is overly comfortable in her skin and is not shy about letting others know.
I had an eerie feeling coming out of the screening of the film. The narrative, the characters, they felt ‘familiar,’ like an homage to Lawrence Kasdan’s “The Big Chill,” where more is revealed in actions than what is spoken. Part of the eerie feeling can be attributed to that film’s 15th Anniversary release, which I saw while I was in college: another customer at the video store (remember those?) told me that he didn’t think I would like “The Big Chill.”
I found that Kasdan’s film, the characters, the settings, the mutual feelings between disparate lives and situations were as powerful as Somers’s film was when I saw it at the Phoenix Film Festival in 2018, some 20 years later.
“Rich Kids,” which is now streaming on Netflix is certainly deserving of all the accolades it has received. The third act doesn’t gel as well as the rest of the film, though the nature of the character-driven story made the first two acts stand out, the third act is an effective tie-off to an afternoon spent resting in paradise.
3 out of 4 stars
“Rich Kids” was the Ensemble Cast Winner of the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival.
