In Echo Park

The film is a throw-back to the gritty, nuanced character studies of the '90s (Kids, Where the Day Takes You) that showed self-discovery in the face of economic and social pressures set against the backdrop of a culturally diverse neighborhood - Echo Park. Written and directed by Nathaniel Lezra, the film interweaves three diverse storylines starting with JJ and Nina, two street punks escaping histories of domestic abuse and addiction, Leanna and Jared, a millennial couple on the verge of financial collapse destroying their relationship; and Luis, a Salvadorian-American teen trying to escape joining the local gang. The film effectively captures the fragile beauty of life within the gentrifying messiness of worlds colliding.