A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)

Director:

Dito Montiel

Writers:

Dito Montiel (book)
Dito Montiel (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Queens, New York, 1986. Sometimes the only way forward, is back.

Plot:

The movie is a coming-of-age drama about a boy growing up in Astoria, N.Y., during the 1980s. As his friends end up dead, on drugs or in prison, he comes to believe he has been saved from their fate by various so-called saints.

Plot Keywords:

Violence | Flashback | 1980s | Writer | Coming Of Age

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Dianne Wiest	...	Flori
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Dito
Shia LaBeouf	...	Young Dito
Melonie Diaz	...	Young Laurie
Julia Garro	...	Diane
Eleonore Hendricks	...	Jenny
Adam Scarimbolo	...	Guiseppe
Peter Anthony Tambakis	...	Young Nerf (as Peter Tambakis)
Channing Tatum	...	Young Antonio
Anthony Tirado	...	Street Corner Puerto Rican (credit only)
Erick Rosado	...	Puerto Rican Van Driver
Steve Payne	...	Beach Chair Guy (as Steven Payne)
Chazz Palminteri	...	Monty
Tibor Feldman	...	Teacher
Martin Compston	...	Mike O'Shea
Marc Castle	...	Drunken Man in Subway
Steven Randazzo	...	Token Clerk (as Stephen Randazzo)
George DiCenzo	...	Uncle George (as George Di Cenzo)
Olga Merediz	...	Aunt Mary
Teresa Kelsey	...	Newscaster (as Teresa Anne Kelsey)
Sammy Rhee	...	Korean Shop Owner
Jermel Wilson	...	Yup Yup
Michael Rivera	...	Reaper
David Castro	...	Reaper's Little Brother
Federico Castelluccio	...	Antonio's Father
Anthony DeSando	...	Frank the Dog Walker (as Anthony de Sando)
Scott Michael Campbell	...	Nerf (as Scott Campbell)
Rosario Dawson	...	Laurie
Kyle Benitez	...	Laurie's Son
Iraida Polanco	...	Old Woman
Gilbert Cruz	...	Queensbridge Bodega Man
Eric Roberts	...	Antonio
Chance Kelly	...	Prison Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Angela Frye	...	Woman in Subway Station (uncredited)
Yetta Gottesman	...	Prison Visitor (uncredited)
Al Marz	...	Street Corner Puerto Rican (uncredited)
Chris Nuñez	...	Gang Member (uncredited)
Jeff Skowron	...	Bookstore Clerk (uncredited)
E. Austin Valentine	...	Very young Dito (uncredited)

Directed by
Dito Montiel

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Dito Montiel		book
Dito Montiel		written by

Produced by
Rene Bastian	....	co-producer
Lucy Cooper	....	line producer
Charlie Corwin	....	producer
Robert Downey Jr.	....	co-producer
Jonathan Elias	....	co-producer
Alex Francis	....	associate producer
Amanda Mackey Johnson	....	executive producer (as Amanda Mackey)
Clara Markowicz	....	producer
Linda Moran	....	co-producer
Bobby Sager	....	executive producer
Peter Sahagen	....	executive producer
Sting	....	executive producer
Trudie Styler	....	producer
Travis Swords	....	producer

Original Music by
Jonathan Elias		(original music by)

Cinematography by
Eric Gautier		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jake Pushinsky
Christopher Tellefsen

Casting by
Melissa Chusid
Amanda Mackey Johnson		(as Amanda Mackey)
Cathy Sandrich		(as Cathy Sandrich Gelford)

Production Design by
Jody Asnes

Set Decoration by
Cherish Magennis		(as Cherish Magennis Hale)

Costume Design by
Sandra Hernandez

Makeup Department
Mary Cooke	....	key hair stylist (as Mary Cook)
Suzanne DeSimone	....	additional makeup artist (as Suzanne D. De Simone)
Joseph Farulla	....	additional makeup artist (as Joe Farulla)
Linda Grimes	....	key makeup artist
Michael Laudati	....	additional makeup artist
Dionne Pitsikoulis	....	additional makeup artist
Eileen Tersago	....	additional hair stylist

Production Management
Nicola Westermann	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jason Graham	....	second assistant director
Urs Hirschbiegel	....	first assistant director
Anthony Ripoli	....	second unit director
Justin Ritson	....	second second assistant director
Nan Sandle	....	second second assistant director (as Nan Marie Sandle)

Art Department
Sarah Berney	....	scenic artist (as Sarah L. Berney)
Benji Cox	....	art department assistant (as Benjamin K. Cox)
Benjamin Craig	....	scenic artist
Colin Eletto	....	art department assistant
Shannon Finnerty	....	assistant property master
Jessioca Gonzalez	....	art department intern
Nora Killoran	....	additional set dresser
Christina Madry	....	art intern
David Moriarty	....	scenic artist
Hannah Newman	....	construction assistant
Andy Pan	....	lead man
Mike Romano	....	set carpenter
Jeremy Rosenstein	....	art department assistant
Kyle Salvatore	....	on-set dresser
Nicole M. Solis	....	scenic artist (as Nicole Solis)
Joshua Visser	....	construction coordinator (as Joshua M. Visser)
Bentley Wood	....	property master
Derek J.W. Wybourn	....	assistant property master
Marian Ziola-Stoeffelmeier	....	scenic artist

Sound Department
Leslie Bloom	....	foley artist
Pam DeMetruis-Thomas	....	adr editor (as Pam De Metruis-Thomas)
Eugene Gearty	....	sound editor
John Gutierrez	....	boom operator
Paul Hsu	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Hsu	....	supervising sound editor
Charles R. Hunt	....	sound mixer (as Charles Hunt)
Branka Mrkic	....	dialogue editor (as Branka Mrkic-Tana)
Beauxregard Neylen	....	assistant adr engineer
Beauxregard Neylen	....	assistant foley engineer
Alex Raspa	....	adr engineer
Alex Raspa	....	foley engineer
Chris Rich	....	sound facility supervisor
Lila Yomtoob	....	assistant sound editor

Visual Effects by
Keith Yurevitz	....	visual effects

Stunts
Roy Farfel	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Aida Artieda	....	additional electrician
Hugo Bonilla	....	generator operator
Ethan Borsuk	....	second assistant camera
Luis Colon	....	grip
Katie Dainson	....	additional second assistant camera
Christopher DelSordo	....	additional second assistant camera (as Chris Del Sordo)
Billy Dickson	....	additional photographer
Pedro Diez	....	additional grip
Nicole Emmons	....	additional electrician
Jack Foster	....	best boy grip
Avra Fox-Lerner	....	additional grip
John Frisbie	....	third electrician
Andrew Greve	....	additional electrician
Melissa Guimaraes	....	key grip
Nick Haines-Stiles	....	additional grip
David Harges	....	gaffer (as David Lee Harges)
Steve Huber	....	additional photographer
Gregory Hurcomb	....	additional electrician
Daniel Kubick	....	additional electrician (as Daniel Kubicek)
Nina Kuhn	....	additional electrician
Marcus Lehmann	....	grip
Parris Mayhew	....	camera operator
Smokey Nelson	....	gaffer: additional photography
Lisa Origlieri	....	camera loader
Joseph Paolini	....	third grip
Andrij Parekh	....	additional photographer
Chris Reynolds	....	first assistant camera
Francis Spieldenner	....	additional first assistant camera
Jake Sumner	....	camera intern
Walter Thomson	....	still photographer
Fernando Vallejo	....	camera intern

Casting Department
Lori Eastside	....	extras casting
Avy Kaufman	....	additional casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ngina Bowen	....	wardrobe supervisor
Leslie Fry	....	wardrobe intern
Whitney Kyles	....	assistant costume designer
Christina Madry	....	wardrobe intern
Evelyn Mejia	....	wardrobe intern
Yvette Stapleton	....	key costumer (as Yvette E. Stapleton)
David F. Zambrana	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Adam Folk	....	post-production coordinator
Vaughan Killin	....	color timer
William Lehman	....	assistant editor
Anthony Ripoli	....	assistant editor
Larry Schmitt	....	on-line editor

Music Department
Jim Black	....	music clearances: Clearsongs Inc.
Jimmy Haun	....	additional scoring
Vincenzo LoRusso	....	lead music mixer
Vincenzo LoRusso	....	music recording engineer
Nathaniel Morgan	....	music recording engineer
David Wittman	....	additional scoring

Transportation Department
John McMorrow	....	driver
Timothy Paustian	....	transportation captain (as Timothy J. Paustian)

Other crew
Matthew Amenta	....	set production assistant (as Matthew C. Amenta)
Victoria Asher	....	set intern
Luches Banks	....	set production assistant
Eli Barach	....	office intern
Anna Bosco	....	accountant: JFA Inc.
Steve Boyle	....	accountant: JFA Inc.
Alayne Brady	....	office intern
Inna Braude	....	assistant: Kingu Films
Emerson E. Bruns	....	production legal counsel
Linda Carbone	....	production executive: Kingu Films, New York
Jeff Caron	....	location manager
Amyjoy Clark	....	additional production assistant: first team
Daniel Coss	....	location manager: New York
Alison Davis	....	production secretary (as Alison M. Davis)
Patricia de Paula	....	production coordinator
Payton Dunham	....	assistant location manager: preparation
Bailey Ertel	....	set production assistant
Jason Fesel	....	set production assistant (as Jason Fredrick Fesel)
John B. Finn	....	accountant: JPA Inc. (as John Finn)
Jessica Flores	....	office intern (as Jessica J. Flores)
Stacy Frankel	....	assistant: Original Media
Cliff Fuller	....	production office coordinator
Rebecca Fulton	....	script supervisor
Ish Goldstein	....	set production assistant
Wilson Green	....	set production assistant
Wayne Han	....	production assistant
Sebastian Iervolino	....	set intern
Pino Insegno	....	voice dubbing: Robert Downey Jr
Sondra James	....	loop group coordinator
Markus Janner	....	titles & opticals: Duart Digital
Theis Jessen	....	office production assistant
John Kaylin	....	dubbing producer
Margaret Koschik	....	location assistant (as Meg Koschik)
Theresa Lowrey	....	assistant: Trudie Styler
Christine McAndrews	....	production executive: Kingu Films, New York
Watari Nishida	....	set production assistant
Shane O'Dell	....	office manager: Belladonna
Ray Parada	....	additional footage
Alyson Perlongo	....	assistant: Original Media
Melissa Pfluger	....	craft service: Kitchen 306 Inc.
Christina Prudenti	....	craft service: Kitchen 306 Inc.
Jimmy Rich	....	assistant: Robert Downey Jr.
Neil Ruddy	....	weapons specialist
Nan Sandle	....	production assistant: first team (as Nan Marie Sandle)
Clarence Sharpe	....	key production assistant
Joleen Small	....	office intern
Jesse Spellman	....	set production assistant (as Jesse Spellman III)
Greg Staley	....	additional set production assistant
Cordelia Stephens	....	clearances and product placement
James P. Stephens	....	assistant to director
Anita Sumner	....	senior production executive: Kingu Films, London
Olivia Vesey	....	set intern
T.G. Wilkinson	....	set intern (as Tom Wilkinson)
Keith Yurevitz	....	titles & opticals: Duart Digital
Alexander Zweig	....	assistant location manager (as Alex Zweig)

Thanks
Ed Harris	....	special thanks
Anne Hubbell	....	thanks
Kenneth Shiffrin	....	special thanks (as Kenneth Schiffrin)

Production Companies

• Belladonna Productions
• Original Media
• Xingu Films

Distributors

• First Look International (2006) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Alta Films (2007) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2006) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• CDI Films (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Maple Pictures (2006) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Mikado (2007) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Revolver Entertainment (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Tour de Force (2007) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2007) (Sweden) (DVD)
• First Look International (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Future Film (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Jump Street Films (2006) (Australia) (all media)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Prorom Media-Trade (2006) (Romania) (all media)

Special Effects

• Du Art Digital (opticals) (as Duart Digital)

Other Companies

• Mackey/Sandrich Casting  casting
• Abel Cine Tech  camera equipment (as Abel Cinetech)
• Axium International  payroll accountant
• C5  post-production sound services
• Cars of Yesterday  picture cars
• Clearsongs  music clearances
• D.R. Reiff & Associates  insurance
• DeLuxe Laboratories  post-production film lab
• Donna Daniels Public Relations  publicity
• Du Art Film and Video  dailies (as Duart Film & Video)
• Eastman Kodak  film stock
• Elias Arts  additional adr facility
• Elias Arts  music recorded and mixed at
• Film Finance  completion bond (as Film Finances Inc.)
• Gourmet To U  catering
• J.G. Films  negative cutting
• JPA  production and post accounting
• Jeremy Walker + Associates  publicity (as Jeremy Walker & Associates)
• Kitchen 306  craft service: New York
• N.Y.C. Casting  extras casting (as NYC Casting)
• Panavision  camera equipment
• Paramount Pictures Production Services  grip and electric equipment (as Paramount Production Services)
• Pivotal Post  Avid editing equipment provided by
• Pivotal Post  editing facility
• Soundtrack F/T  post sound facilities
• Warrenwood Sound Studios  additional adr facility (as Warrenwood Studios)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, sexuality, and drug use.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-13 | Germany:16 | Argentina:16 | Sweden:11 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Belladonna Productions

Trivia:

Dito Montiel was reluctant to cast Shia LaBeouf in the role of young Dito because Montiel was intent on casting an unknown. After the first rejection, however, LaBeouf pushed for one more audition. He came into the casting office, punched a hole in the wall, and convinced Montiel that he could bring a requisite amount of anger to the role.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Boom mic shadow in the 26th min on the lower right hand side of the screen, in the scene were the father beats Antionio.

Quotes:

Frank: Listen to Dito. He knows when it's time to go.

Movie Connections:

References Asteroids (1979) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Baby Come Back

Check out the Guide

A Guide to Recognizing your Saints There comes a time when motion pictures take an extraordinary turn, when and where that happens is irrelevant, although recently I've experienced a breathtaking turn in film making. The name of the experience is "A Guide to Recognizing your Saints." First time director Dito Montiel created, based on own occurrences and adapted from his book, a personal picture engulfed in beautiful undertones of love, regret and forgiveness.

The film is sculpted by a powerful screenplay by Montiel and an incredible cast who captured the best ensemble award from the coveted Sundance Film Festival. The film stars Academy Award nominees Robert Downey, Jr. and Chazz Palminteri, Oscar winner, Dianne Weist and a slew of incredible and upcoming talent coming from Shia LeBeouf, Rosario Dawson, Channing Tatum and Melonie Diaz. The movie parallels us through a downward spiral of daily entities and a burrow of absolution and adversity.

The movie cuts in and out of the years 2005 and 1986 and both center around Dito Montiel, a young Queens-born Italian trying to cope with the everyday hard streets of crime, prejudice and premature passion. In 2005 Dito lives away from his family and is contacted by his mother to return home to care for his ill and medically stubborn father. Robert Downey, Jr. plays the multi-layered character who carries the weight of the world on his heart. Dito's pain is so deep that he can't even believe or conceive a start to come to terms with it. Downey, Jr. has been making a strong comeback for his career and when he pulls in outstanding performances like this it reestablishes his talent. Shia LeBeouf portrays the young "Dito" in 1986 and pulls in one of the most riveting performances ever performed by a younger actor. LeBeouf shows you what it means not only to play a role but to inhabit it. "Dito" may seem flawless at times as he grows up and surrounds himself by his compatriots, but when he falls into temptation and wants the escape into an unrestrained humanity we see a true idol emerge.

Dito's humanity is threatened by local thugs such as the Puerto Rican, Reefer and his relationship with his adverse father played by Palminteri. Throughout the film you see Dito trying to self-improve his life by conversations about relocating, expanding his friends with the new foreign student Mike and learning more about himself than he intends at his age. His circle of friends include the three "free-spirited" teenage girls from the neighborhood, his abused and violent friend Antonio, (Channing Tatum) the little man, Nerf, and Antonio's dazed younger brother Giuseppe. Dito searches for it including love with one of the ladies (Melonie Diaz (young) Rosario Dawson (old)) who captures the essence of innocence lost in between adolescence and the alleyway.

Dito Montiel's life is the ultimate example of baggage accumulated over decades and inevitable recognition of it and eventual confrontation of it. The movie is "Kids" meets "The Basketball Diaries" told in a "Sleepers" like narrative. The "21 Grams" like cinematography is captivating and crisp editing makes a wonderful, enjoyable and imperative film to a generation lost in its own indulgence. Unfortunately, the film is far too "small" to be recognized by the Academy. If it were up to me this would be a definite contender in the Adapted Screenplay category and LeBeouf would be joining a very crowded Best Actor race. Downey, Jr. would also enhance his chances in the supporting category along with "Fur." This personal portrait of culture and life exists primarily in the mind and suffering of Dito Montiel who painted this amazing representation. All who see the film will be yearning to recognize their saints….and love.

Grade: ****/****