Shelter

Running time: N/A

Set in Brooklynâ??s Bedford Stuyvesant, Shelter is the tale of three inner-city adolescents: the reclusive 16-year-old Ray (Ray Santiago, of Girlfight and Pinero) who tends his bedridden mother; his brother, Spider; and the very pregnant Maria. When his mother dies, Ray becomes determined to get away. At the same time, Mariaâ??s drug problems get her thrown out of her sisterâ??s apartment, and she turns to Spider, only to find Ray gone. The two set out on a frantic search and eventually find Ray in a deserted Times Square alley. In a stolen car, the three drive aimlessly into the night. At daybreak, they find themselves on a desolate beach in a world of natural beauty that is both breathtaking and unfamiliar. In this magical setting, they attempt to form a surrogate family, after taking solace in a beach house. As Mariaâ??s pregnancy advances, she cocoons herself with Ray in a make-believe world of "playing house." But will their newfound haven survive the jealousies that arise among them? Tough-minded and vibrant, Shelter mixes urban squalor with magical beauty for one of the most breathtakingly original stories of the year. In it, the power of friendship and love in the face of hardship transcend harsh realities, and the characters'?? search for a home becomes as moving as it is devastating.