"The Big Shot-Caller"

I had not heard of Marlene Rhein's The Big Shot-Caller (Stella Films, 5.15), until last week. But having now seen it, I'm surprised there hasn't been more advance buzz around it.

Based on events from Rhein's own life, and starring her brother, David in a role based on himself The Big Shot-Caller follows a socially awkward, legally blind man who dreams of becoming a salsa dancer as a child, but got sidetracked from his dreams by real life.

It sounds like a run-of-the-mill inspirational follow your dreams story, but it's not. It's witty, clever, and completely charming. Having heard nothing about it until recently, I found it to be a pleasant surprise.

I'll be posting a full review closer to its release, but I wanted to get the word out there. The Big Shot-Caller opens on May 15 at the Quad in NYC, and I recommend it to everyone nearby. I don't want people to be able to ignore it because they haven't heard of it, so I'm getting the word out.

Here's the film's trailer: