It is more than a roof over your head, far more. Ray seeks something other than a physical structure; he needs shelter and the search for it may last forever.

Benno Schoberth's first feature film "Shelter" is the story of Ray (Ray Santiago) and his hustler brother Spider (John Rafael Peralta) who attempt to find a place of their own away from the dangers of the city with the help of their pregnant friend Maria (Marilyn Soto Santiago). At the beginning of the film, Ray is an emotionally and probably mentally stunted 16 year-old living with his extremely ill mother in the poverty stricken inner-city. After the agonizing death of his mother, Ray falls into the care of Maria whose paint huffing addiction has become more than her sister can take. In one telling scene, Maria is shown huffing in fingernail polish which later leaves her unconscious in her sister's apartment bathtub with her sister's baby crawling around atop her. Maria is understandably ordered to leave and steals her brother-in-law's car escaping to find Ray and Spider.

In time, Maria finds Spider, Ray's hustler brother who lives in a squalor section of the city that would remind one of Dresden after its bombing. The scenes taking place in Spider's hovel make you feel pretty dirty, just grimy, and I was reminded of Ratso Rizzo's decaying apartment with leaky plumbing and make-shift wiring. But the story doesn't stall in this awful place; in time, the united threesome of Spider, Maria, and the savant Ray, leave the city with no fixed destination and damn little resources to get them there.

By accident the trio happen upon a beach front summer home that is uninhabited but left fully stocked and inviting to passers by. Spider takes the initiative to push the flimsy door in and "home" is discovered. Although the movie magic to create this oasis is extremely convenient, I found the script choice appropriate and believable. Anyone who has a summer getaway or even who has visited one can attest to the manner in which such places are set up and maintained. In "Shelter," the characters make full use of the accommodations. Maria proceeds to play house which enrages Spider causing conflict.

The time spent on the beach by Ray and Maria is a good piece of subtle filmmaking. Images on the sand in the sun and the childlike play of Ray are captured well on Super 16mm. Weird thing is that interior shots are pretty dark which, at times, appears to be intentional. It is important to note that I viewed the film on video, so, the transfer may be the problem I experienced. Super 16mm should be a good option for independent filmmakers who want to shoot on film especially given the good results when blown up to 35 mm (I read somewhere that “Leaving Las Vegas” was originally shot on Super 16).

During much of the film, a voice over narration spoken by Maria strikes the right tone and is paced well without being too overbearing or pretentious. It reminded me of the voice over spoken by the striking Rosario Dawson in Ethan Hawks’ fascinating “Chelsea Walls.” “Shelter” is completely different than “Walls,” however, and has a more traditional narrative structure.

But “Shelter’s” storyline will challenge you on the believability level. For example, Maria’s pregnancy is, at first, hidden, but in time, the street savvy Spider becomes aware of it and wants nothing further to do with her. While I questioned the way the script permits this discovery and the manner in which the birth of the child is handled, there is emotional power on the screen here associated with the real life problem facing the three runaways. It is hard enough making it as three there is no room for four, especially, a fourth that requires more attention than Ray. Time passes oddly in “Shelter” and Maria grows in her pregnancy at a record pace (of course, my thought was that their stay in the summer home was lengthy).

Any plot trouble points are offset by the expertly empathetically crafted character of Spider. Spider knows nothing more than his own survival although the guilt of leaving his brother is nipping at him. But one gets the impression that Spider’s ultimate decision and act of limited violence comes from selfish envy and not from concern for Ray’s well-being. Spider is a hustler in the “Midnight Cowboy” since of the word and is constantly on the make. His boyish looks and anything goes attitude make him desirable to gay predators and we know that a train wreck is coming. In fact, the events shown to us in “Shelter” are not nearly as intriguing as those that may take place after the story on film ends. Schoberth’s screenplay smartly leaves us in limbo and wondering what may become of the characters. The ending is spot on and left me in the mood intended, I’m sure.

“Shelter’s” story is tricky and almost too deliberately told, yet, the maturity and understanding reflected in the interplay between Maria, Ray, and Spider is interesting. Writer/Director Schoberth manages to hold his frayed narrative together thinly by permitting his characters to each develop their own distinct personalities (no one is one note) that would be an outgrowth of prejudices, mental or emotional imbalances, and egotism. This is a film without the contrivances or conceits that often act to wind-down or wind-up messy plot threads. Indicative of good independent cinema (that with “Lost in Translation” and “Monster” is beginning to lose a definitive definition) “Shelter” is an uncompromisingly real absorbing take on a dour and difficult subject (which mainly concerns lost youth guided by no clear adult support structure).

You see, “Shelter” is a film about people we know or meet casually on the street or somewhere in public that aren’t depicted as romantic poor poets or possible hidden geniuses that hope to offer some kind of outstanding contribution to the greater good of society. No, Maria, Spider, and Ray are just lost young people desperately seeking a place (with or without physical walls and dwelling rooms) where they can feel safe, at least, for a little while.

Jonathan W. Hickman, 2004