"My name is Dito... and I'm gonna leave everybody in this film."

After the mindfuck of Synecdoche, I was ready for a straightforward drama. Boy, did I get one with A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. This was quite a raw and difficult movie to watch, but we both agreed it was very good. I am a big Shia fan from the Even Stevens days, and the kid can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes. Despite his foray into the big action movies, I still stand by my initial belief that he is a great dramatic actor, and this movie was a perfect example. The whole setup of the movie is from the perspective of the writer, telling the story of his formative years and then the backlash later. The dialog is done in a very realistic, almost improvisational way, so it felt like more of a documentary, which I enjoyed. Overall we were very impressed with the casting of the child/adult versions of the characters and thought the story was moving.