Anne B. Real

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Cynthia (Ja Nice Richardson), a teenager growing up fatherless and impoverished in the city, spends her free time reading and writing rhymes. She carries around the tattered copy of The Diary of Anne Frank that her late father (David Zayas) gave her when she was a little girl. Her brother, Juan (Carlos Leon), a drug addict and dealer, steals Cynthia's rhymes, claims them as his own, and sells them to an up-and-coming rapper, Deuce (Eric Smith), who has a decent flow, but no writing skills of his own. When Deuce gets the opportunity to record a demo for a big-time producer, he pressures Juan to get him more material. Meanwhile, Cynthia's best friend, Kitty (Jackie Quinones), and a concerned teacher at her school, Michael (Antonio Macia, who also co-wrote the screenplay), find out about Cynthia's writing talent and try to encourage the introspective girl to share her gift with the world. Michael's efforts are complicated by his former relationship with Cynthia's older sister, who is a struggling single mother. Cynthia is courted, first by a good-natured small-time dealer, Jerome (Ephraim Benton), and then by a middle-class uptown teen, Darius (Geronimo Frias Jr.). She eventually learns that the increasingly desperate Juan has stolen her rhymes, and worse, and she decides to do something about it. Anne B. Real was the feature debut of co-writer and director Lisa France, who had previously worked as a stuntwoman. It was shown at the 2003 Urbanworld Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

AWARDS

• Independent Spirit Awards

•     Nominated Best Debut Performance - 2003 (Ja Nice Richardson)
•     Nominated John Cassavetes Award - 2003 (Lisa France)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Ja Nice Richardson - Cynthia
       Antonio Macia - Michael

• Director:

  Lisa France

• Producer:

  Luis Moro

• Screenwriter:

  Lisa France, Antonio Macia

• Screen Story:

  Luis Moro

• Co-producer:

  Felice Schachter, Lisa France

• Costume Designer:

  Tere Duncan

• Short Story Author:

  Antonio Macia

REVIEW:

• Lisa France's debut feature, Anne B. Real, is a well-meaning drama with an original premise that still gets bogged down in formulaic plotting, uneven performances, and drab visuals. Making her acting debut, Ja Nice Richardson does a fine job in the lead role of Cynthia. She and Jackie Quinones, who plays Cynthia's wisecracking best friend, Kitty, bring a fresh-faced enthusiasm to their performances that transcends the rather predictable character arcs. Other performers, including Carlos Leon in the pivotal role of Cynthia's drug-addled brother Juan, do not fare as well. Leon tries hard, but it's a character we've seen on too many television police dramas and low-budget drug sagas, and while Juan serves a crucial function in the plot, he's never quite convincing as a fully-fleshed human being. Anne B. Real has been compared to 8 Mile. This film, however, has a more likable protagonist, unlike the monotonously sullen character played by Eminem. Cynthia seems to have passion and a lively mind even when she's not on-stage, where she's understandably not quite as convincing in her freestyle skills. The film's connection to the classic WWII memoir The Diary of Anne Frank is too tenuous to suggest the awkward title, though perhaps the filmmakers were simply thinking that the reference would broaden their film's demographic appeal. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi