A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)

Director:

Dito Montiel

Writers:

Dito Montiel (book)
Dito Montiel (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Queens, New York, 1986. Sometimes the only way forward, is back.

Plot:

The movie is a coming-of-age drama about a boy growing up in Astoria, N.Y., during the 1980s. As his friends end up dead, on drugs or in prison, he comes to believe he has been saved from their fate by various so-called saints.

Plot Keywords:

Narrator | Vandalism | Talk To Camera | Flashback Sequence | Headphones

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Dianne Wiest	...	Flori
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Dito
Shia LaBeouf	...	Young Dito
Melonie Diaz	...	Young Laurie
Julia Garro	...	Diane
Eleonore Hendricks	...	Jenny
Adam Scarimbolo	...	Guiseppe
Peter Anthony Tambakis	...	Young Nerf (as Peter Tambakis)
Channing Tatum	...	Young Antonio
Anthony Tirado	...	Street Corner Puerto Rican (credit only)
Erick Rosado	...	Puerto Rican Van Driver
Steve Payne	...	Beach Chair Guy (as Steven Payne)
Chazz Palminteri	...	Monty
Tibor Feldman	...	Teacher
Martin Compston	...	Mike O'Shea

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, sexuality, and drug use.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-13 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA | Ireland:16 | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Belladonna Productions

Trivia:

Dito Montiel was reluctant to cast Shia LaBeouf in the role of young Dito because Montiel was intent on casting an unknown. After the first rejection, however, LaBeouf pushed for one more audition. He came into the casting office, punched a hole in the wall, and convinced Montiel that he could bring a requisite amount of anger to the role.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Dito is flying from California to New York, the airplane seat is an "old' Air New Zealand seat cover. The cover is probably from around the correct time, but Air NZ have never flown to New York.

Quotes:

Guiseppe: My name is Guiseppe and I'm Antonio's brother.

Movie Connections:

References Asteroids (1979) (VG)

Soundtrack:

A Sunny Stroll

One of my favs of the year

First time director Dito Montiel's "A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints" is a harsh autobiographical look back at his youth on the mean streets of Astoria, Queens in the mid 1980's. From the film's opening moments, Montiel introduces us to an intimate world of family and friendship that totally blindsided me by its greatness. There are moments in "A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints" that roll along with such force and emotion, that Montiel feels like a natural born filmmaker, infusing his personal heartache into strong characters breathing within a vivid time and place. Montiel's handling of edits, sound, and music are also powerful, such as a scene in Dito's kitchen between his father and group of friends that explodes into stark images and quick cuts to black. Montiel also handles the return home of Downey Jr. with care and vulnerability, searching for small answers that come in revelatory conversations with his mother (Dianne Weist) and grown up girlfriend Dianne (played by Rosario Dawson). And while such personal material can be hard to translate without lapsing into melancholy, Montiel finds a way to craft a clear eyed version of his life, allowing strong acting and electric film-making to take over the balance of the experience. I love finding unheralded gems such as this. The name of Robert Downey Jr. brought me to the theater and I discovered a true talent in Dito Montiel who has crafted one of the finest directing debuts in several years