On The Outs

Got nothing to do this weekend? Wanna make it a Blockbuster night? Well, I have just the flick for you. I don’t recommend too many movies, but if your an Indie film lover like I am, then you might wanna check out On The Outs.

On the outs is short for “on the outside,” as in not currently incarcerated. It follows the lives of three young Jersey City women:

• Oz is a tough 17-year-old crack dealer who never uses the stuff herself. She has a tender side, as we see the way she cares for her mentally handicapped brother, Chuey.
• Suzette, just 15, is responsible and well-behaved, taking care of her younger sister while their mother works. But she is seduced and impregnated by Tyrell, a crack dealer and a grown man. Tyrell charms Suzette by doing magic tricks for her sister, and she’s naïve enough to also be impressed by his money and his street cred.
• Marisol, a crack-addicted single mom, lives for her toddler daughter and her drug. Crack hinders her practical parenting skills, but she’s clearly a kind and loving mother. After a brief stint in jail, Marisol is soon released, drug-free and finds out that she may permanently lose custody of her daughter because of her previous lifestyle.
  

There’s not one father figure in the film, but each of the three young ladies has at least one other family member who loves her. It’s not enough to prevent trouble, but it may mean the difference between a budding hope for the future, and no hope at all.