‘Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)’ Review: A Colorfully Raw New York Story That Skirts the Line Between Doc and Theater

As authentically New Yorkish as a greasy slice of 99-cent pizza, Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) offers a fly-on-the-wall view inside one Bronx household that seems so real, you would hardly think you’re watching a movie.

And yet this promising debut from writer-director Joel Alfonso Vargas also plays like a staged community drama starring a handful of budding local talents, who spend a lot of time yelling at each other as they try to keep their fictitious family together. The result can be both compelling and a bit amateur at times, though never less than genuine.

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The story begins during a scorching NYC summer, where we follow 19-year-old Bronx boy Ricardo, or Rico (Juan Collado), as he combs Orchard Beach selling illegal mixed drinks (known as “nutcrackers” or “nutties” in New Yawk slang) to customers relaxing under the sun. A larger-than-life personality who runs his mouth off both at home and on the job, Rico is the kind of guy who’s fun to hang around with for about five minutes, until he becomes absolutely exhausting.

That’s definitely how his mother (Yohanna Florentino) and sister (Nathaly Navarro) seem to feel as the three remain stuck together in their cramped Pelham Bay apartment. A loving family that never really gets along, the close-knit Dominican American trio switches fluidly between English and Spanish as they bicker about curfews, pot-smoking, control of the living room TV and vaccines, raising their voices to double-digit decibels whenever things get heated.

If such fights seem to be the norm of Rico’s braggadocio, weed-and-alcohol infused existence, his life gets even crazier after he confesses to his mom that he impregnated a 16-year-old girl named Destiny (Destiny Checo). Determined to keep the baby, he soon moves the quiet teenager into his tiny bedroom, promising to be a responsible father and companion, but with no game plan on how to pull that off.  

This very Bronx tale of teenage pregnancy and inner-city strife can seem familiar in terms of content, but never in terms of form. Alfonso Vargas artfully stages each sequence as a tableau shot from a fixed position, allowing scenes to play out in unedited blocks of time. The effect heightens the realism of what we’re watching, as if the film had been made with hidden cameras. It also helps compensate for certain scenes in which the acting can feel awkward or over-the-top, even if the performances are quite strong overall.

Utilizing a variety of real locations, including MTA buses, subways and a fried seafood shack on City Island where Rico temporarily gets hired, Mad Bills to Pay depicts a side of outer-borough life rarely seen in mainstream series or movies. There’s a ton of on-screen fighting and animosity, but Alfonso Vargas also reveals a closely-knit community where your family, however much pain they cause you, ultimately counts above everything else.

This is also world where beauty exists amid the urban blight. The director and cinematographer Rufai Ajala, who shot in a 4/3 format with rounded edges, create plenty of memorable compositions out of their surroundings. A beachfront is capped by a pure blue sky as Rico pushes his cooler through the sand; an LED screen advertising artery-clogging fast food glows as the sun sets over a busy street; a family holds a gender reveal party in a public park, their white costumes flanked by endless greenery.

The colorful Bronx backdrops accompany Rico as he confronts the realities of being a first-time father, struggling not to repeat the cycle started by his own absentee dad. In that sense, Mad Bills to Pay is a classic coming-of-age story about growing up and taking on responsiblity, about committing major actions and not just acting out. Rico has clearly been a loudmouth for most of his life, and by time we get to the end of the film, he’s obliged to finally put his hard-earned money where his mouth is.