There’s more than meets the eye in Rolando Zee’s newest venture. To those keeping up with the world of creatives geared towards LGBTQ storytelling, Zee’s name will immediately ring familiar from his previous short, Never Too Old. If that film proved anything, it was that the writer/actor had a real knack for crafting characters that endear themselves to the audience and, perhaps, even reach those who feel underrepresented in such intimate settings. Judgmental Prick! is like a spiritual successor to Never Too Old, only it feels much, much more consequential in its thematic choices.
Following a chance encounter in front of a hardware store, Jesse (Rolando Zee) will do just about anything to pursue a blue-collared Mexican named Osvaldo (Hugo Mejia). Such is his commitment that he chooses to fabricate his entire life story and change his appearance to appear more “working-class” to not only Osvaldo but also his mother, Gloria (Maria Montenegro). Throwing the proverbial wrench into his plans is his best friend, Florio (Patrick McDermott), who discovers the deceptive plot and wants to hold Jesse accountable before it’s too late.
What immediately stands out about the film is its cinematic language. Terrific compositions and motivated camera movements, thoughtful editing and musical choices—the list goes on. Zee has chosen a fantastic team to bolster his screenplay, and director Shayne Lightner and Director of Photography Derrick Dos Santos more than deliver. It’s important to note that while the filmmakers do consider this a proof of concept, they’ve clearly left no stone unturned in making it the ultimate showcase for their technical capabilities. But of course, there is still a narrative breakdown here. Zee’s script is a dramatic rollercoaster, plain and simple. It’s a bit campy, dare we say soap-opera-ish, but that’s perhaps the intention here. It might seem silly to pretend to be someone else to get with another person, but in a society that constantly judges material wealth and class status, it’s not a far-fetched idea. Even if you don’t read between the lines, Zee is definitely targeting our varying tendencies to be dishonest when dating. Just how far can Jesse push his luck before Osvaldo and his mom catch on?
Zee, Mejia, and McDermott make for an excellent ensemble, and though the interpersonal side of things gets a little unnecessarily tangled towards the end (the cliffhanger is most definitely a controversial one), they mesh well with the contained absurdity of the story. In fact, it would be great to see all these relationships developed further should a feature be greenlit. The surefire standout is most certainly Maria Montenegro’s Gloria, who’s not only a stunning screen presence but also plays a crucial role in guiding Jesse towards his own emotional honesty. We could all use a Mama Gloria in our lives.
Building upon what came before, Judgmental Prick! is a bold evolution for Rolando Zee and establishes a heartfelt, unpredictable film that’s ripe for a feature-length treatment.
