Attitude (2002)

Coming as part of a spate of interrelated films made in collaboration with San Francisco's experimental theater troupe the Tenderloin yGroup, venerable indie filmmaker Rob Nilsson delivers this Cassavetes-style meditation on a group of desperate, homeless, or otherwise downtrodden characters who try to find connection with each other -- with varying degrees of success. Attitude takes as its lead character Spoddy (Michael Disend), a recently HIV-positive mechanic and petty thief who, fearing retribution from some shady business associates, takes refuge with a group of homeless people living at a landfill. There, he self-centeredly rails against the forces that conspired to cause his demise -- never realizing that he oversaw his own downfall. Also starring Selena Allen, Attitude is the fifth part of a seven-film series made between 2000 and 2003 called "9@Night," which all involve the same 40 actors from the theater troupe, and are made according to Nilsson's theory of "Direct Action Cinema" -- digitally-shot, improvised films that attempt to heighten the viewer's awareness of social issues. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi