Spoken Word (film)
{{Infobox film
|name = Spoken Word
|image = spoken-word.jpg
|caption = Theatrical release poster
|director = Victor Nuñez
|producer = {{unbulleted list|Karen Koch|William T. Conway}}
|writer = {{unbulleted list|William T. Conway|Joe Ray Sandoval}}
|starring = {{unbulleted list|Kuno Becker|Ruben Blades|Miguel Sandoval|Persia White}}
|music = Michael Brook
|cinematography = Virgil Mirano
|editing = {{unbulleted list|Victor Nunez|Justin Geoffroy}}
|studio = {{unbulleted list|New Mexico Media Partners|Luminaria Productions}}
|distributor = Variance Films
|released = {{Film date|2009|3|1|Aguascalientes Festival|2010|7|23|United States}}
|runtime = 116 minutes
|country = United States
|language = English
}}
Spoken Word is a 2009 drama film directed by Victor Nuñez and starring Kuno Becker, Ruben Blades, Miguel Sandoval and Persia White.{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/movies/23spoken.html|newspaper=The New York Times|title=The Difficulties of Escaping the Past|last=Catsoulis|first=Jeanette|date=July 22, 2010|accessdate=August 17, 2021}}
The writers include William T. Conway and Joe Ray Sandoval. The film was produced by Karen Koch and William T. Conway. It opened in New York City at Big Cinemas Manhattan 1 on July 23, 2010, and played in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Sunset 5 on July 30, 2010. {{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}
Plot
{{More plot|date=November 2015}}
Cruz Montoya is a Latino spoken-word artist who works in San Francisco. He returns home to Santa Fe, New Mexico to reconnect with his dying father and his brother. He is finding himself losing his "voice" as he spirals downward back into the dysfunctional life of drugs and violence he had left behind.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/spoken-word-film-review-29835/|title=Spoken Word — Film Review|last=Scheck|first=Frank|authorlink=Frank Scheck|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=July 22, 2010|accessdate=August 17, 2021}}
His brother is judgmental. Cruz is approached by his former boss Emilio, who works as a local drug dealer. Cruz falls into the familiar patterns of his past while ignoring the increasingly anxious phone calls of his girlfriend. Cruz is also suffering from bipolar disorder and uses alcohol to self-medicate.
Cast
- Kuno Becker as Cruz Montoya
- Ruben Blades as Senior
- Miguel Sandoval as Emilio
- Persia White as Shae
- Rashaan Nall as Cloudy
- Chris Ranney as Bartender
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film has a score of 46% based on reviews from 13 critics, with an average rating of 5.4/10.{{cite web|title=Spoken Word (2009)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/release_2010|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Flixster|accessdate=17 August 2021}} On Metacritic, Spoken Word have a rank of 56 out of a 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/spoken-word|title=Spoken Word (2019)|website=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|accessdate=August 17, 2021}}
Nick Schager of Slant Magazine gave the film one star out of 4,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/spoken-word/|last=Schager|magazine=Slant Magazine|title=Review: Spoken Word|first=Nick|date=July 21, 2010}} while Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 3 out of 4 and called Spoken Word "A rich and textured film".{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/spoken-word-2010|last=Ebert|first=Roger|authorlink=Roger Ebert|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|title=A poet at a loss for words|date=August 4, 2010|accessdate=August 17, 2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.spokenwordmovie.com}}
- {{IMDb title|1212443}}
- {{TCMDb title|737565}}
- [http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=67100 Spoken Word] at ComingSoon.net
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080830001134/https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810003911/info Spoken Word] at Yahoo! Movies
- [http://www.impawards.com/2010/spoken_word.html Spoken Word] at IMP Awards
- {{Mojo title|spokenword}}
{{Victor Nuñez}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spoken Word}}
Category:Films scored by Michael Brook
Category:Films about bipolar disorder
Category:Films set in New Mexico
Category:Hispanic and Latino American drama films
Category:Films directed by Victor Nuñez
Category:2000s English-language films
{{2000s-drama-film-stub}}