Simpson Street

Generational differences collide in Edward Gallardo’s Simpson Street. Michael Rodriguez has just returned home to the family apartment in the Bronx after staying at a psychiatric hospital. He soon clashes with his mother, Lucy, who copes with an empty life through denial, and Lucy’s friend, Rosa, who behaves like she is half her age. Meanwhile, Michael’s sister Angela has just left her husband and spends her time getting attention from men at bars. Determined to escape the same dead-end lives of his family, Michael resolves to leave the Bronx once and for all. Gallardo’s ensemble drama captures the challenges of a Puerto Rican family with a level of authenticity reminiscent of kitchen sink dramas.