I’ve seen a lot of bad films in my day, so when I heard about this film that was made in 1999, but didn’t find its way to DVD until 2010 after struggling through the festival circuit, I got a little worried. However, such worry was completely unnecessary, as Harlem Aria proved a pleasantly enjoyable film.
Anton (Gabriel Casseus) is an idiot savant. He’s completely socially awkward and trusts everyone. However, he’s obsessed with opera music and has taught himself to be a fantastic singer. But what chance does a poor black kid growing up in Harlem have of making it as an opera singer? But Anton isn’t the type of person to let something like that get in the way of his dreams, so when is Auntie tries to put an end to his delusions of grandeur once and for all he runs away from home and winds up in Central Park.
Here he meets two men who begrudgingly become his friends. The first is Wes (Damon Wayans) a homeless grifter who at first seems more interested in Anton’s money then Anton. Upon first meeting him, Wes swindles every penny Anton has – $183. Anton next meets Matthew (Christian Camargo), an alcoholic pianist who would rather play piano in the park then kiss societies ass to get a real job. When Wes and Matthew hear Anton sing they both realize that he’s something special and this launches their precariously fragile friendship.
This isn’t the best film in the world by any means; there are many points where the internal logic of the films seems to lose its way. That said I enjoyed it way more than I expected to. The acting from the principal cast was solid with Casseus being very impressive. He gives a strong and believable performance that makes you cheer him on as he struggles towards his seemingly unreachable goal.
Camargo (most recently seen in The Hurt Locker) and Wayans are both great as well. You can tell they really care about these characters and really give it there all, even if the strange accent Wayans gives his character is a little annoying.
With all the crappy films that come along every week, I’m really surprised this film took so long to get to DVD. I really commend the director, William Jennings, for trusting his work and not giving up on it. I imagine most people would not have fought that long for one film.
It’s not going to blow your mind or anything, but this is a solidly entertaining film and it’s certainly worth renting and giving a chance.
The film is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen. Sound is in 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital surround sound. This films looks pretty good for a low budget film. Nothing flashy, but nothing bad either.
Behind The Scenes of Harlem Aria: (2 min.) A typical behind the scenes piece. Still kind of interesting.
Interviews with Cast and Crew: (9 min.) Interviews with Damon Wayans, Christian Camargo Gabriel Casseus, Paul Sorvino and writer/director William Jennings. You can tell everyone involved really cares about this film. These are nice interviews.
Trailers Red Cliff, District 13: Ultimatum, The Warlords, The Eclipse.
Expecting the worst due to the ten year gap between production and release I was very pleasantly surprised by this film. Gabriel Casseus is a solid actor and William Jennings a competent filmmaker. I hope to see more from them in the future.
Magnolia presents Harlem Aria. Written and Directed by William Jennings. Starring Gabriel Casseus, Damon Wayans and Christian Camargo. 100 minutes. Rated R for strong crude language. Released on DVD: April 6, 2010. Available at Amazon.com.
