All Night Bodega

Venus is a very realistically portrayed fifteen year-old girl who is on the brink of failing in school, and barely maintaining a relationship with her well-meaning but fed up stepmother. There are dangerous temptations all around her (gangs, crime), but she thinks she can fend for herself. It doesn't take long for things to go from bad to worse, and unfortunately Venus ends up trusting the wrong people--all just so she can avoid authority. The scary part is, she is a typical teenager.

This gritty film held my interest up until the final scene, which may or may not be a disappointment for those used to Hollywood endings. On my first viewing I was disappointed, but the second time I was not, but I can't say why without revealing too much. Suffice to say that once I got to know those characters, it mattered what happened to them, more than in many films with higher budgets and known actors.