La Mission (film)

La Mission is a 2009 drama film starring Benjamin Bratt and Jeremy Ray Valdez. It is written and directed by Peter Bratt (Benjamin's brother). The film has been shown at the Sundance Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Synopsis.
Growing up in the Mission District of San Francisco, Che Rivera has always had to be tough to survive. He is a powerful man respected throughout the Mission barrio for his masculinity and his strength, as well as for his hobby building beautiful lowrider cars. A reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, Che has worked hard to redeem his life and to do right by his only son, Jesse, whom he has raised on his own after the death of his wife. Che finds his personal values challenged when he discovers Jesse is gay.
Environmental impact.
Several scenes in the movie make subtle hints at environmentally friendly themes, such as converting lowriders to run on biodiesel. The film was also shot on an eco-friendly movie set, one of the first of its kind in San Francisco. The cast and crew eliminated the use of water bottles, composting was done on set, and the art department allowed for green product placement in the film. "La Mission" subsequently earned an Environmental Media Association (EMA) Green Seal Award in 2009 as the result of their production practices.
Release.
The film opened on April 9, 2010, in New York City and Los Angeles and on April 16 in San Francisco. The DVD was released on August 10, 2010. "Songs of La Mission" features songs from the movie.
Reception.
Roger Ebert gave the film 2½ stars out of 4. "La Mission" was referred to as "an honest attempt to portray the destructiveness of violence in the Latino community", and was credited by Latino media as being both authentic and genuine to various aspects of American Hispanic cultures.