Hurricane Streets Movie Review

This intensely sad film shows how quickly a young boy's life can turn to ashes when he lacks love and guidance from anyone. Marcus (wonderfully played by Brendan Sexton III) is only 15, but his father is dead, his mother is in prison, and his grandmother has to work. He thinks he knows how his dad died and why his mom's in prison, but he's mistaken, and when he realizes why, he has no foundation on which he can build any sort of life. All that's left are the daily hustles with his friends, who are planning to make the leap from misdemeanor theft to grand theft auto and other felonies. Some of the children he runs with can barely keep their eyes open on their assorted rounds, but when they break and enter a house, what seems like a highly charged game at first evolves into something much more serious. Marcus’ life is further complicated by the love he feels for Melena (Isidra Vega), who's just 14. Like Marcus, Melena's life is more than she can handle. Her biggest problem is her father, who snaps his kindly act on and off at will. Her mother left because of the beatings and now Melena's stuck with them. What are two children on Hurricane Streets to do? The first film of Morgan J. Freeman (the director, not the actor) supplies some powerful insights. AKA: Hurricane.

1996 89m/C Brendan Sexton III, Isidra Vega, David Roland Frank, L.M. Kit Carson, Jose Zuniga, Lynn Cohen, Edie Falco, Shawn Elliot, Heather Matarazzo; D: Morgan J. Freeman; W: Morgan J. Freeman; C: Enrique Chediak. Sundance Film Festival ‘97: Best Cinematography, Best Director (Freeman), Audience Award. VHS