Sweet Dreams

Eric Scott Latek's nonfiction piece, "Sweet Dreams," is a visually and aurally stunning look at what it means to be a man in Federal Hill, the "wiseguy belt" of Providence, R.I. Shot over three years, this vérité epic—part "Rocky," part "Mean Streets"—follows a boxer and a bookie, both Italian-American, as their lives gradually intersect. Gary "Tiger" Baletto is a rising champ seemingly destined for a title bout, but when a friend is killed in the ring, he begins to question his dedication to the sport. Derek, on the other hand, is something of a lost soul, a wannabe mobster barely out of his teens whose notions of masculinity and ambition are conditioned by his environment—and wholly at odds with his actual persona. Full Frame's Nancy Buirski will conduct the post-screening Q&A with Director Latek, recently named one of the "25 New Faces of Independent Film" by Filmmaker magazine.