So we’ve officially got word of a Dominican family sitcom in the works for NBC, Orange is the New Black vets like Dascha Polanco are taking over the big screen, and all signs point to a breakout moment for dominicanos in American media. Now if you’re keeping tabs, you would also be well advised to keep an eye out for Santo Domingo-born actress Katherine Castro, who, after making a name for herself as a media personality in her native DR, has been slogging away in the Hollywood trenches for going on six years. Her latest in a slew of features she’s starred in over the last year may not have had a big theatrical premiere or picked up any flashy festival accolades, but it does bring Castro one step closer to being a household name in the U.S.
Directed by Brent Conley, American Violence sounds a bit like a mashup between American Psycho and A History of Violence. Taking place in some anonymous Small Town, USA, the feature brings us the epic mafia battle we’ve all been waiting for: the Russian Mob vs. Mexican Drug Cartels, then mixes it up by adding a lone serial killer into the mix, a corrupt cop, and a few other things. When said serial killer gets caught up in the great Mexico-Russia turf war, one of the capo’s daughters gets kidnapped, and the aforementioned corrupt cop brings us to an ending we’d never expect.
Yes, it sounds a bit convoluted and vague, but seeing Russians battle Mexicans should be enough to catch this low-budget genre flick on VOD on December 8, and only then will we know if it makes a little more sense when you actually sit down to watch it. For her part, Castro executive produced the feature, which is a testament to her grit and determination to break through. With at least three other prominent roles in features slated to be released over the next year, it’s clearly only a matter of time.
American Violence premieres in Los Angeles on December 75 and debuts on Amazon, Google Play, and other digital platforms on December 8, 2015.