Manito

Streaming video - 2002

Set and vibrantly photographed in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, "MANITO” is the fictional yet richly detailed story of a day in the life of two Latino brothers, Junior and Manny. Told using techniques of cinema verité, “MANITO” manages to capture multiple facets of a New York neighborhood and the people who live there. Fifteen years ago their neighborhood was dubbed the crack-cocaine capital of the world, but today it is transforming into one the most vibrant Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. While the drug dealers continue to disappear, their violent legacy still casts a shadow over the neighborhood and its residents. Junior Moreno (Franky G.), an ex-convict struggling to get his life back on tra...ck, is a product of this legacy. His younger brother Manny (Leo Minaya), the salutatorian of his high school class, embodies the hope of the future. On the night of his graduation party, Manny finds himself faced with an ill-fated decision that could change his life forever. Only Junior can prevent his little brother (“Manito”) from becoming yet another casualty of their neighborhood’s violent past. more