Desire Street (also known as La Calle Del Deseo or Calle Deseo) is a 2011 comedy-drama film written and directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi. The film features an ensemble cast including Alejandra Walker, Javier Lopez, Ellen Clifford, Kjord Davis, Jesus Guevara and Alexandra Smothers, with Charles Wells, Tyler Vincent, Roman Marshanski, Kay Hand, Gavin Fonseca and Sassoun Hagopian in supporting roles. Revolving around an eccentric and dysfunctional Mexican immigrant family living in Los Angeles, the film is divided into three parts, each one with a story reflecting a family member (mother Carmen, daughter Bess and son Andrea) and the relationship that they establish with a new neighbor, a prostitute named Lucy Bell.
Plot
The story follows a Mexican immigrant family's life in the United States following a tragic accident. The family's matriarch, Carmen, is a widowed single mother of two, who wants to "fix" her teenage son's "confusion" about his sexuality, and seeks solace through her religious beliefs. Her daughter Bess is a curious but sheltered young girl who hides from the world by the clothes she wears and by her behavior, so the world sees her as odd and unusual. Andrea is her teenage son, whose emerging sexuality is of concern to his mother and her religious beliefs, and then he falls for a streetwise man whom he sees as his way to escape to freedom. Each of the family members is coping with a family altering accident in their own way. As they endure their loneliness and the turmoil of maturing, each encounters unique experiences and a lasting special relationship with their ostentatious and passionate new neighbor, Lucy Bell, a companion for hire.
Cast
Alexandra Smothers as Lucy Bell
Alejandra Walker as Carmen
Ellen Clifford as Bess
Javier Lopez as Andrea
Kjord Davis as Johnny Black
Jesus Guevara as Antonio
Manuel Domenech (Tyler Vincent) as Kevin
Roman Marshanski as Sasha
Charles Wells as Priest / Mr. Smith
Gavin Fonseca as Mike
Sassoun Hagopian as DVD shop attendant
Kay Hand as homeless / woman in the lobby
Yuka Ozaki as Asian woman in lobby
Kurt Morningstar as Danny
Production
The district of Koreatown, Los Angeles, serves as a backdrop for the story.
The film was initially conceived as the directors' thesis film as part of their MFA degree at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) at Universal Studios in Hollywood. After the directors' graduation, the film was re-edited and the post-production was completed.
Desire Street was filmed on Super 16mm film and principal photography lasted three and half weeks, taking place in August 2009, with temperatures reaching and higher.
The directors' intentions behind Desire Street were to explore the elements of sex and desire as the main themes of the film. They tried to create characters that, under different circumstances, either repress these instincts (due to influences from the society, personal tragedies, etc.) or use it freely as the hooker does in the film.
Canuto and Xu take as a reference the Mexican melodramas of the 1960s. They exaggerate the representation of the characters to accentuate the irony that is a basic element in the story, creating many situations of comedy. At the end of the story the family became the main reference for the individual survival.
Desire Street has "a unique perspective, exploring social aspects and family issues with a melodramatic, but at times humoristic tone. This is conveyed with very bold and colorful characters and a dynamic narration. The message that the directors wish to bring to the film and its audience is a respect for others irrespective of their sexuality, race, or profession. Also the film highlights the importance of family support for any teenagers who are struggling with their sexuality and differences to the stereotypes that the society creates". The film touches themes like immigration, prostitution, homosexuality, lesbianism or bullying at a young age, themes that can be seen as controversial by the approach taken in the film.