(1993)
3
Tom Wiener
Not every documentary can spawn a successful feature, but then there is the case of director Martin Bell's Streetwise giving birth to his American Heart. Bell and his wife, photographer Mary Ellen Mark, collaborated on both films; it was her pictures of Seattle's street kids which inspired the documentary, and she and Bell wrote a screen story for writer Peter Silverman to fashion into a drama about a teen in danger of being lost to the streets. Jeff Bridges co-produced American Heart and anchored it with one of his strongest performances. His Jack Kelson is that familiar ex-con who's torn between going straight and falling prey to the lure of his former life. Kelson, with raggedy mustache, flowing hair, and a body sculpted by prison-yard workouts, is all swagger until he comes up against Nick, the son he barely knew. Edward Furlong and his clenched face exude alienation, and when he and Bridges square off, it's a showdown between two males who won't admit how badly they crave affection. Bell sees all of the down-and-out characters in this story with the same clear eye; they are neither colorfully eccentric nor pathetically damaged, just people trying to get by, often one day at a time.
American Heart on AllMovie
American Heart (1993)
