The North End on AllMovie

Two friends unwittingly reflect the divided nature of a changing community in this independent drama. Mac McCain (Mark Hartmann) and Freddie Fabucci (Matthew Del Negro) are two old buddies who share an apartment in Boston's Italian-American North End community, which is divided between yuppies trying to gentrify the neighborhood and tough townies who resent their intrusion. Mac is a soft-spoken independent filmmaker who wants to make a documentary about the neighborhood and its people. He's told that he'll need the permission of Dom Di Bella (Frank Vincent), a local hard man who has made a few bucks playing gangster roles in movies. Freddie, on the other hand, is involved with Dani (Lina Sivio), whom he treats with a dismissive and brutal machismo. Dani often finds herself wondering why she's going with Freddie and not his better-behaved friend, Mac. The North End marked the directorial debut of filmmaker Frank Ciota, himself a long-time North End resident.