Director/writer Sergio Vizuete’s Becoming Vera follows a young Miami girl with dreams of becoming a Latin jazz pianist. Vera (Raquel Lebish) has just turned eighteen and is no longer eligible for a foster home. She finds herself on the street, essentially homeless, and quickly realizes she needs to find ways to earn money. When a friend refers her for an interior painting job, Vera sees a piano and plays it, catching the ear of local musician Hector (Gabriel Diehl).
Hector calls her back and listens to her play. She is wary of him at first, but eventually dares to hope that meeting him was the break she was hoping for. When Hector finds his star pianist, Ellen (Mikaela Monet), failing at a big audition, he swaps Vera in, and her playing sparkles and impresses the producer. Hector gets the gig and agrees to let Vera help him write and arrange the music. He is abusive, and it’s clear that he sees her only as a tool to advance his own ambitions. Vera must decide if she is willing to pay the price of dealing with Hector in order to continue playing.
Further complicating the opportunity, she finds herself at odds with Ellen, who is fearful that the young prodigy will replace her. After she puts her trust in Hector, he steals Vera’s original songs and gives them to Ellen. Some time later Vera finds herself squaring off at an audition against Hector and Ellen. While navigating the difficult situation with Hector, she also drifts into a romantic entanglement with Jake (Nicolas Pozo), another ex-foster who has aged out of the system.
“… Vera has just turned eighteen and is no longer eligible for a foster home…”
Despite all the distractions and pressures, Vera relaxes into her true talent and proves to be a stellar musician. We are swept along with Vera as she tries to make something of her life, playing the music she loves. Will she successfully make the transition to adulthood and thrive, or will she fall back to the chaos of the streets?
Vizuete gives us beautiful music and visuals. Becoming Vera is radiant, shot in soft, warm light. This is both a strength and a weakness. It strains credulity to imagine that young people living on the streets with no reliable food source are so clean, groomed, and well-dressed. The cast delivers solid performances, but the range of emotions is lacking. The desperation and anger are muted, cleaning up the messy street life, again making it more palatable to the viewer. That leaves the responsibility for authenticity squarely on the young shoulders of Raquel Lebish, who takes the challenge and makes the film soar. Without her performance, the entire endeavor would collapse under its own weight.
Despite the superficial after-school special vibe, Becoming Vera pulls us in and illuminates the perils of aging out of foster care, bringing awareness to the situations faced by thousands of young adults suddenly adrift in the world.
Learn more at the official Becoming Vera website
"…pulls us in..."
