Categories: LocalMovie Trailers

“A Beautiful Life” Trailer

 

Maggie (Angela Sarafyan) is a teenage runaway fleeing her family; David (Jesse Garcia) is a teenage illegal immigrant in search of his. When their paths cross, both are alone in the City of Angels, a place where some come to dream and others to hide. A bus drops off Maggie in downtown Los Angeles late one night. She is unsure of where she’s going; only knowing that she’s not going back home. After wandering the dangerous streets for hours, she finally falls asleep in the one place that seems safe – the garbage dump behind a strip club. It’s there that she’s discovered by David, who works as a janitor at the club. He brings her in to let her use the bathroom and a kind stripper, Esther (Bai Ling), takes pity on Maggie, cleaning her up and begging David to take her home that night so she has a warm place to sleep. Maggie and David at first are suspicious of each other, but soon find they have more in common than they think and realize that their only chance of survival in the city may be if they stick together. In spite of themselves, they fall in love and together they struggle to find the courage to dream and hope again. Their blossoming love eventually lowers their defenses, allowing them to reveal their painful pasts to each other. Along the way they encounter hunger, desperation and danger. However, they also find kindness in a local librarian, Susan (Debi Mazar), and the family they never had with Esther. But when Maggie seeks out her mother’s (Dana Delany) help the truth catches up and she has to decide to face her past or keep running. “A Beautiful Life” reminds us that a life is not just the singular story of one person. Rather, it is the story of all the lives that intersect with our own and enrich it.

Kevin Brackett

Kevin Brackett is a professional film and theatre critic. He is also a member of the St. Louis Film Critics Association (SLFCA). Since founding Review St. Louis in 2008, he remains editor and operator of the online publication. Kevin is also a co-host of the Reel Spoilers podcast, and former National Vice President of the Technology Student Association (TSA), comprised of over 200,000 members worldwide. E-mail: kevin [at] reviewstl.com.

View Comments

Recent Posts

Movie Review: THUNDERBOLTS* storms into theaters with strong cast, fun story

Marvel Studios seems to have finally risen out of the slump that has been caused…

1 day ago

Movie Review: ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR delights as Lively and Kendrick rekindle sparks from first film

Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick are back in Another Simple Favor, the devilishly delightful follow…

1 day ago

Movie Review: UNTIL DAWN might make you yawn

Another exclusive PlayStation title recently saw an adaptation in Until Dawn, directed by David F.…

1 day ago

Spiritbox at The Pageant with Loathe and Dying Wish

Spiritbox brought their unique brand of metal and a fantastic stage performance to the Pagaent…

2 days ago

THE BAND FEEL: CREATING VINTAGE VIBES, MAKING MODERN MOVES

In an age where music is fragmented into algorithms and fast-scrolling feeds, The Band Feel…

3 days ago

Trivium, Bullet for My Valentine and friends take over The Factory with sweet metal sounds

By Cassie Maag Twenty years ago, two landmark albums were released, “Ascendancy” by Trivium and…

1 week ago