Against the Wall

2004 Drama

A pair of lifelong friends whose relationship thrives on their mutual love for graffiti finds their creative passions stifled after being arrested over their illegal art form in director Benjamin Morgan's celluloid commentary on the absurdity of "quality of life" laws. As children living in San Francisco's Mission District, Michael "Heir" Rosario (Lane Garrison) and Curtis "Vain" Smith (Brian Burnam) longed for fame and fortune. Soon convinced that the most viable means of achieving their dreams was to spread their names across the urban landscape, "Heir" and "Vain" soon took to tagging the concrete and steel canvases of the city with their lesser-known monikers. As the years passed and their distinctive form of urban art earned "Heir" and "Vain" the status of anonymous superstars to some, others looking to clean up the streets took a less positive view of the pair's covert artistic exploits. When "Heir" and "Vain" are eventually arrested for violating the city's strict "quality of life" laws, the prospect of serving hard time and having their lives turned upside down for the outwardly victimless crime soon proves devastating for the artistically suffocated urban artists. more..

Director: Benjamin Morgan

Starring: Lane Garrison, Brian Burnam, Mackenzie Firgens, Luis Saguar, Fred Pitts

Reviews

  • Kev Robertson's gritty camerawork and a musical soundtrack mixing hip-hop, punk and electronica add to the ambience of this impressive shoestring-budget indie.

    V.A. Musetto - New York Post

    29 November 2012

  • This is a small -- if rough -- gem of a film.

    - The San Francisco Chronicle

    29 November 2012

  • While Burnam and Garrison imbue their characters with authentic-feeling frustration and anger, they never succeed in making them especially interesting; it's hard to care in any serious way what becomes of either.

    Maitland McDonagh - TV Guide

    29 November 2012

  • Picture's cliched underlying story of restless youth plays as too naive for an older audience and too provocative for teens.

    Eddie Cockrell - Variety

    29 November 2012

  • Establishes a strong sense of milieu in these street scenes, and while the movie's not without its flaws--much of the dialogue is colorless and Lisa seems a bit too together to be hanging out with Curtis--it's never less than credible.

    Joshua Land - Village Voice

    29 November 2012

Awards

  • 14plus: Best Feature Film

    Berlin International Film Festival (2004)