Piñero

SYNOPSIS

Born in Puerto Rico, Miguel Piñero endured an abusive upbringing and a spell in jail before finding fame as the Tony-nominated playwright of the semi-autobiographical Short Eyes. Yet, having founded the influential Nuyorican Poets Cafe and guested on several TV cop shows, he succumbed to drug addiction and died derelict in 1988. Benjamin Bratt captures Piñero's pain and unpredictability with affecting power. But in seeking to convey the lyricism of the writing through a flashbacking structure, shaky digi-camerawork, and shifts between monochrome and colour, director Leon Ichaso succeeds only in confusing the issues, while drawing attention to his own self-conscious artistry.