The Streetsweeper.

It was definitely serendipity that caused me to come in contact with this wonderfully heartwarming film. I was looking for a movie to see the other night, and titles like “2Fast 2Stupid” and “The Italian Car Ad” just didn’t appeal to me. And who really cares about “Alex and Emma”? Anyway, I found myself in Old Town Pasadena, walking past the United Artists theater and pondering whether I wanted to spend money on something called "The Eye”, when I nearly stumbled into a sign they left on the sidewalk, advertising a movie called “The Streetsweeper”.

So I stopped stumbling and started to read the photocopied reviews that were taped to the sign. Just as I was getting to the heart of the story, this white-haired guy pops out of the movie theater and says to me “If you want to see a great movie, and you don’t care about explosions and car chases and all of that, ‘Streetsweeper’ is the one. It has a great heart” or words to that effect. I looked at him, and he looked like someone who could pass for a madman in a Coen Brothers movie. So that cinched it for me. I took a chance and walked in for the show.

As I said, it is a wonderfully heartwarming film.

“The Streetsweeper” is the story of Enzo (compellingly portrayed by Paul Michael), a kind old Italian American gent living in San Diego, who puts his only son through Harvard by working as a streetsweeper driver. What Enzo’s son (played with conviction by Michael Cavalieri) doesn’t know is that his dad has made some extreme sacrifices in order to pay his college tuition. The story is about their reunion right after graduation day, when the son finally learns the real price of his education. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, it is, but it’s even more than that. The film takes a surprising dark turn, and then gets even darker still. And just when all hope is lost, it pulls off a transcendent ending. Kudos to writer/director James Hill for taking a risk instead of staying with the standard formula.

“The Streetsweeper” is definitely a low-budget independent film, but it looks good for the most part, give or take one or two out-of-focus shots and a few wooden lines by non-professional actors. That they shot with the complete cooperation of the City of San Diego is apparent; at times it feels like an advertisement for the San Diego Board of Tourism. But that’s okay because all of the scenes fit the story and San Diego is indeed a beautiful and diverse location. In any case, the impact of the story overcomes the minor visual ticks.

I definitely recommend “The Streetsweeper”, but because it’s on a very limited release schedule, you might have to go out of your way to see it. It’s well worth the effort, though.

More later…
Paul