Quinceañera

Magdalena (Emily Rios) and Carlos (Jesse Garcia), pondering the depths their world- weariness, as only 15-year-olds can.A young Los Angeles Latina (Emily Rios) about to celebrate her 15th birthday (quinceaños) learns that she is pregnant, even though—technically, at least—she’s still a virgin. Rejected by her father, she takes refuge in the home of a kindly uncle (Chalo González) who has already taken in another family outcast, the girl’s gay cousin (Jesse Garcia). Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, who shared writing and directing duties, take a relatively lightweight but nicely observed look at the lower-middle-class neighborhood of Echo Park (the movie’s original title). The largely inexperienced cast is a bit awkward in spots—the actors seem at times to be studiously avoiding glancing at the camera—but the performances (especially from Rios, Garcia and González) are simple and sincere, and the atmosphere is heartfelt.