Sundance review: Brotherly chemistry makes 'Blast Beat' worth a look

‘Blast Beat’

★★★

Playing in the U.S. Dramatic competition of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Running time: 105 minutes. In English, and Spanish with subtitles.

Screens again: Monday, Jan. 27, 6 p.m., Tower (Salt Lake City); Tuesday, Jan. 28, 8:30 a.m., Egyptian (Park City); Wednesday, Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m., Eccles (Park City); Friday, Jan. 31, 9 p.m., Resort (Sundance); Saturday, Feb. 1, 3 p.m., PC Library (Park City).

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Brothers approach their new home in America from different directions in “Blast Beat,” a drama that’s as full of raw energy as the title suggests.

In Bogota, Colombia, in the summer of 1999, the Restrepo family is making their plans to move to America. Ernesto (Wilmer Valderrama), the patriarch, is already in Atlanta, buying a house and making the immigration arrangements. Nelly (Diane Guerrero), his wife, is eager to make a new life, as is their oldest son, Carlos (Mateo Arias), who dreams of working for NASA and aims to enroll in the Georgia Aerospace Institute as soon as he finishes high school. Less enthused is Carlos’ little brother, Mateo (Moises Arias — yes, they’re brothers in real-life, too), an artist with a wild streak and a hot temper.

Life in America isn’t as easy as Dad has made it out to be. The new house is a fixer-upper, Mateo is taunted by a rich racist bully (Sam Ashby), and Carlos is missing his girlfriend back in Bogota, Mafe (played by the singer Kali Uchis). Carlos visits the aerospace institute, and makes a connection with an astronaut (Daniel Dae Kim) who teaches there. But Carlos’ good news is tempered with Mateo’s struggle to fit in, and his resentment that his family uprooted itself to pursue the big brother’s dream.

“Blast Beat” is a showcase for the Arias brothers. They’re both survivors of the Disney Channel: Moises as “Hannah Montana’s” comic relief, Rico, and Mateo co-starring on “Kickin’ It.” And Moises has broken out in the indie hit “The Kings of Summer” and last year’s Colombian hostage drama “Monos.” Together, they look like opposites, with Mateo gangly with long hair and Moises an intense shorter frame with a shaved head. But their brotherly bond shines through whether the Restrepo siblings are fighting or helping each other out.

Director Esteban Arango and his co-screenwriter, Erick Castrillon, go over some plot beats that will be familiar stops in sibling dramas and immigration tales — a step back for every step forward. The exuberance of the storytelling, propelled by the metal music Carlos favors, is undeniable.