Rene Alvarado Leads the Way in East Side Story

From Sugacoobs.com:

I would love to say that there are heaps of gay movies out there to be enjoyed, but I would be lying if I did. Unfortunately, I suspect largely due to a lack of funding opportunities, gay movies all too often suffer the curse of low budget and underdeveloped absurdity.

Thank-fully, I was lucky enough to come across one such film that both avoids all the clichés and manages to look like a slick enough production. East Side Story is at its core a coming out story, BUT do not turn away. I myself groaned at the mention of this in the blurb, but I was proved wrong, as will you be. It should be noted however that like Mambo Italiano, another gay film with a similar story, ESS again takes us to a place where racial conflicts are playing against people’s ability to be themselves in a deeper way than most are aware of. Both films are entirely valid, and indeed very good – but two is probably enough.

Diego lives in East Los Angeles with his sweet but old fashioned grandmother, and his closer-to-his-age aunt (that is, when she’s not waltzing all over Europe). Though he studied at a renowned chef school, his life has not consisted of much outside of working at his family’s rather tacky and run-down restaurant. Secretly, he dreams of opening his own eatery, but change isn’t something that comes easily to this community.

Read the entire review by clicking here.