(2006)
3
Michael Buening
1980s music-video maestro Steve Barron ("Billie Jean," "Take on Me") takes the plunge into indie digital-video dramas in this portrait of pathologically shy Salvadorian immigrant Jorge (Octavio Gómez Berríos) in Jamaica, Queens. The diner where Jorge works is staffed by a multicultural cross-section teetering on the brink of stereotype anchored by Mandy Patinkin's solid performance as the diner's Russian owner. As the plot shifts around Jorge's insular, paranoid point-of-view and his crush on a cheery, child-like Asian waitress (Eugenia Yuan), the film skirts many an indie cliché (magical realism, maudlin heart-to-hearts, lovable losers). Barron's sensitive handling of the characters, restrained use of showy dramatics, and skill with the camera finesses but does not obliterate these problems, and the use of animation feels particularly underdeveloped. But Jorge is a fascinating and original person, a lonely young man trying to resist his inner Travis Bickle, and Berríos' weird dark portrayal elevates the film above its mediocre DV counterparts.
Choking Man on AllMovie
Choking Man (2006)
