Mexican immigrant drama 'Sangre' a thriller, too

First-time filmmaker Christopher Zalla juggles so many narrative balls in his debut drama "Sangre de Mi Sangre" ("Blood of My Blood") that you almost hold your breath for fear he'll drop one.

He doesn't.

His seemingly simple immigration story could have been a standard-issue melodrama about a young Mexican man's quest to cross the border to find his missing father in the Big Apple.

"Sangre de Mi Sangre" is that, plus a raw tale of urban survival, plus a mistaken identity thriller, plus a con artist's quest to hit the big score. Igor Martinovic's gritty, ominous cinematography melds with Brian Cullman's mysterious, pulsing score to intensify the drama.

While escaping thugs in Mexico, a man named Juan (Armando Hernandez) winds up in a truck headed to New York with a cargo of illegals. He meets the relatively innocent Pedro (Jorge Adrian Espindola), off to find his father, a wealthy restaurant owner, and give him a letter from his mother.

When Pedro wakes up, his belongings and Juan have disappeared. Penniless Pedro survives the mean streets with help from a skanky hustler named Magda (Paola Mendoza). Juan passes himself off as Pedro so his father Diego (galvanizing Mexican character actor Jesus Ochoa) will fork over money.

Except he's just a poor dishwasher. Or is he?

"Sangre" is a sure-footed first effort from Zalla, and although it does slip into contrived cirumstances, its appeal can be partly attributed to its promise of a next, better movie.