Writer-director Deny Gallagher’s Americano works like a blend of Clerks meets You Got Mail. The drama speaks to anyone who remembers the awkward leaps we all take as we plunge into the ocean of adulthood, coupled with the pain of splitting from all the old places and familiar faces that make up our world.
Jack Armstrong (Darren Weiss) is a college athlete with hoop dreams of the NBA. But after an injury sidelines him, Jack retreats into the family business. Warmed by caffeine and his friends, he struggles with the fact that his life is a mess, his business is on the rocks, and his friends are all packing up and moving on. Enter Dara (Adrienne Laurén), a mysterious blonde who seems to have all the answers to everyone’s problems. The only problem is that Dara is secretly in cahoots with Jack’s family nemesis, who harbors desires to destroy the coffee shop and see the property converted into luxury condos.
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“…after an injury sidelines him, Jack retreats into the family business.”
The group of friends talks about their trials and tribulations over coffee. The fact is, the store is like a second home, full of memories. Jack battles his own demons whilst his friends each jockey for positions that’ll take them to the next level. They each question each other’s commitment and resolve as well as explore their inadequacies, yet seek to bolster the confidence where their friends require it. As reality dictates that all things can and must change, Jack and his friends face tough decisions. Armstrong, like he would on the court, is forced to put the past and future on the chopping block in order to save both. But he won’t have to do it alone, because he’ll have a little help from his friends.
With Americano, Gallagher creates a dense and complex study of youth. It is also an intriguing tale of power struggles and how the sins of our parents can be passed on to their offspring, whether or not they intended it to. The filmmaking is beautiful, and the supporting players around Weiss seem perfect for their parts. Plus, it was great to see yet another standout performance for Lei Nico (Mak), who made quite the splash in Alan McIntyre Smith’s Stargazer.
The picture also functions as a terrific encapsulation of how we cling desperately to the things and people we hold dear. The world at large is an ocean of uncertainty. I suppose we know that going in, but what the film does so well is show the point at which we realize that waiting for destiny to come looking for us is futile. The journey towards our dreams is exactly that. Something that we must move towards. As one moment in our life ends, another begins. And so it goes. However, the world moves on, and whatever plans we have will be put to the test. Americano reminds us that to get from where we are to where we’d like to be is based entirely on our actions. It is all too easy to seal one’s fate with the choices we make.
"…waiting for destiny to come looking for us is futile."
