This second feature from multi-hyphenate Marty Sader merges fiction and real-life, un-choreographed events to tell the story of Persian-American Lazo (Sader), a damaged single father clinging to his past, and Isabel (Vanessa Cure), a young Hispanic woman whose own troubled history mirrors that of Lazo. Together, they have a shot at determining a new, better future.

With an inspired supporting cast that includes UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and the legendary Edward James Olmos (who also produced the film), Sader has sculpted a visceral, soul-stirring work of neorealism about forging ahead by staying true to one’s dreams.