The charm of Raising Victor Vargas is its bevy of natural, nonprofessional performances. There's an aura of urban authenticity that pervades this film, adding terrific depth to an otherwise ho-hum story. Because the truth is, Vargas offers very little that you haven't seen before—with its broad caricatures and plot devices—and at a certain point while watching, you'll experience that unfortunate moment when you understand that the film just doesn't have a lot to say. But at least the way it says it is striking.

Writer-director Peter Sollett has populated Raising Victor Vargas with an entire cast of first-timers, and all of them—I mean, all of them—deliver performances so genuine that you'll feel like you're eavesdropping on their arguments and private passionate moments. Taking place in New York's lower east side, the film concerns the rite of passage of Victor Vargas (Victor Rasuk), a hormone-propelled teenager on the prowl for sex as he struggles with becoming a man. Surprising himself, he finds that he's falling in love with the beautiful Judy Ramirez (Judy Marte), a quiet and proud young woman who at first rebuffs his awkward teenage posings. But gradually, and with many missteps—much to the chagrin of his guardian grandmother (Altagracia Guzman)—Victor finds himself becoming an adult.

As the title suggests, this is Victor's story, but each character is given weighty moments. Vargas is a nicely character-driven, ensemble piece, despite its focus. Victor's brother and sister wrestle with their own teenage demons, and the best friends of Victor and Judy share their own romantic entanglement that provides interesting counterpoint to the main pairing. In all these cases, the unstudied approach to the acting gives the film a unique gravity, and we feel like we're watching something other than drama. It feels like nonfiction—to a point.

The end of the film disappoints. Loose ends are tied up too easily, particularly in the case of Victor's sister. And the film as a whole is somewhat plodding. But if you can invest yourself in the power of the performances, you'll enjoy Raising Victor Vargas. This director is very much worth watching.

Columbia/TriStar presents Raising Victor Vargas in a fine anamorphic-widescreen transfer of the film's original 1.85:1 theatrical presentation. According to the DVD case, the film was "mastered in high definition." Whatever the transfer method, this is a great-looking image. I suppose, considering the budget, I wasn't expecting much, but the fine detail and the accurately grimy color palette give Vargas a pleasing depth.

There are minor flaws, such as blemishes, and I noticed minor mosquito noise and shimmering, but I saw only the most faint instances of edge enhancement. But this remains an above-average effort.

The disc offers a Dolby Digital 2.0 track that brings across the original theatrical soundtrack faithfully. Vargas is a dialog-driven film with not much in the way of audio dynamics, so the 2.0 track is just fine. The front soundstage is expansive. Dialog is clear and mostly clean, suffering only at the very high end.

All you get are Trailers for All I Want, All the Real Girls, and The Debut. No trailer for Vargas!

Enjoy Raising Victor Vargas for its people rather than its plot. I wouldn't call this disc worthy of a purchase, but the DVD, especially considering its striking image quality, is worth your time as a rental.