A TOUCHING, REALISTIC LOOK AT LATINO LIFE IN L.A.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic

The new film ``Quinceanera'' has a light, easy-to-like vibe. But it's no simplistic feel-good fable.

The micro-budgeted independent film, which won both the dramatic grand jury prize and the audience award at this year's Sundance Film Festival, is about people coping with big issues -- sexual, family and, since it's set in L.A., housing. And while it's certainly humorous and a little sentimental in places, this unique ensemble piece is finely attuned to the way real lives are lived right now.

The brainchild of writers-directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, ``Quinceanera'' was informed by their own experience as a gay couple who bought a home in the predominantly Latino Echo Park district. When they observed neighbors' daughters getting all gowned-up and Hummer-limo'ed for their traditional Mexican coming-of-age celebrations, the pair recognized it as a hub around which to spin a unique culture-clash narrative.

The resulting film expertly employs amateurs (among them said neighbors, their relatives and even one local girl's actual Quinceanera court), talented young professionals and, in one marvelous case, the surprisingly lovable veteran of many a Sam Peckinpah bloodbath, Chalo Gonzalez. Even the casting director, Jason Wood, got in on the act as one of the story's gentrifying Anglos.

Choice behavioral details abound as Magdalena (Emily Rios) prepares for her big day. The daughter of a storefront evangelist, she finds herself impossibly pregnant as her 15th birthday approaches. Life at home grows understandably tense, even more so when Magdalena's claim that she's still technically a virgin seems to be scientifically verified. So she moves into her sweet, great-great uncle Tomas' (Gonzalez) longtime home, a modest guest house on the property that James and Gary (Wood and David W. Ross) recently bought.

While Tio Tomas is a welcoming, nonjudgmental soul, his home is not without friction, either. Magdalena's cousin Carlos (Jesse Garcia) has landed there after being kicked out by his parents, and it's clear from the start that the two teenagers don't like each other much. But they grudgingly and very convincingly create an ad hoc family. The acceptance the two bickering kids display -- Carlos for his cousin's ``miraculous'' condition and she for his increasing interest in their somewhat predatory new landlords -- is all the more refreshing for the fact that it's based on unspoken mutual respect rather than the compromised tolerance that grows from affection.

Carlos' interactions with Gary and James are equally unapologetic, if ultimately not very positive. The guys don't hide their lust for the hunky, tattooed bad boy, but it isn't like they seduce him into doing anything he hasn't thought about before. The older men are neither vilified nor idealized, although they ultimately treat Carlos and his roommates quite horribly. They're just flawed people, like everybody else in ``Quinceanera.'' And let's face it: Gay or straight, jealous or open-minded, this L.A. housing market can make anybody do terrible things.

``Quinceanera'' does resemble the kind of ethnic comedies some self-professed indie film fans prefer over truly challenging works of cinema. But it's a world away from the stereotype-celebrating fiestas these films often become. Glatzer and Westmoreland have observed their neighbors and their friends keenly and relentlessly. For its detail and honesty, ``Quinceanera'' is one memorable coming-out party.

Bob Strauss, [phone]

bob.strauss(at)dailynews.com

QUINCEANERA - Three stars

(R: sex, nudity, language, drug use, racism, violence)

Starring: Emily Rios, Jesse Garcia, Jason L. Wood, David W. Ross, Chalo Gonzalez.

Director: Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland.

Running time: 1 hr. 30 min.

Playing: Laemmle Town Center 5, Encino; Laemmle Playhouse 7, Pasadena; ArcLight, Hollywood; Laemmle Monica, Santa Monica; Edwards University Town Center 6, Irvine.

In a nutshell: Winner of multiple Sundance awards takes amusing yet tough looks at real issues in L.A.'s Echo Park neighborhood.