I had the pleasure of seeing this film last year and I must say, I was quite surprised. Directed by cruz angeles, "don't let me drown"is set in brooklyn, ny and revolves around two teens lalo, (e.j. bonilla) a Mexican American from an impoverished family and stephanie, (gleendilys inoa) a tough, angry dominican girl whose family is mourning the loss of her sister who died in 9/11. The two leads have pretty good chemistry and gave good, solid performances. Its great how the director not only uses the horrors of 9/11 to show the profound impact this tragic event has had on the two lead characters and their families, but he also uses 9/11 as a way of highlighting their perceptions of each other and the world around them. This is definitely not a sappy teen love story. The movie captures the essence of the love and attraction between lalo and stephanie through the dialogue which is incredibly authentic."don't let me drown" is one of the coolest independent films that deals with teen angst, as well as love, lost and pain. It is a film that exposes the reality of poverty and urban life and is definitely one of a kind.

A R&J love story set in the aftermath of 9/11. It tries hard to be authentic but leaves the audience a little short. If haven't seen Raising Victor Vargas [2002], you should watch that film instead, it's a similar film without the 9/11 backdrop. Lalo a young Mexican American high schooler with illegal parents is living in run down area of New York, he meets Stefanie a young Dominican girl and they fall in love. However Stefanie's father has rage issues and won't let her date anyone, and he'll beat anyones ass who tries to. Lalo's family struggles to pay rent while Stefanie's family is still reeling from the loss of their star daughter who had just got a job working at the World Trade Center. The acting is not bad, the cinematography is not too bad, nor the editing but it just doesn't grab you like Raising Victor Vargas. Apart of the reason why is because the film doesn't know how to immerse the audience in the Point of View and emotions of young teens in love. It has these side stories that distract from the love birds like the father's rage about his daughter's death and the Lalo's father cleaning up 9/11 debris without proper gear. These are important issues but these side characters get scenes to themselves and it sort of turns the film into an ensemble piece and dilutes from the love story. Also the two teens are not very original or distinguishable. In Raising Victor Vargas the main character had this really cocky bloated attitude which gave him some flavor. In this film it's just two teenagers who are a little timid about their emotions and although love is a compelling thing, audiences tend to wanna watch characters who are a little bit out of the ordinary. This film is decent but otherwise too Luke warm to distinguish itself from the greats.

This is a great movie that depicts how in fact we are one way related to each other and affected differently (whether knowingly or not) by catastrophic events that occur.We watched this movie as a family and everyone from my Spanish-only speaking husband, to our 17 yr old son and myself enjoyed this movie.I think it is also a good movie that should be seen by educators. So many different angles and discussions can be sparked - from the need to know about current events, the challenges teenagers face, the effects and changes families go through - and so much more.I truly recommend this movie. I hope to pick up the DVD.