Mariem Pérez Riera's loving documentary on the life and career of actress / activist Rita Moreno is an often-revealing tribute that occasionally wanders into cringe as Moreno, a self-described "attention seeker," hams and mugs for the audience between the tears. The stronger elements of the film are the stories of Moreno's nearly exclusive early casting as "island girls" and "dusky beauties" and her victimization by Hollywood's studio machinery. The maltreatment included a sexual assault by her agent (whom she does not name) and publicity pairings with movie actors, one of whom she disastrously married -- Marlon Brando.
Moreno's on-camera recollections are supported by friends and admirers, many of whom are also Puerto Rican, and scholar / historians who provide the important backdrop of racial and sexual discrimination that will inform viewers' understanding of Moreno's bouts with self-doubt and self-destructiveness.
Moreno, 90, has worked steadily in film and television for 70 years. Though perhaps best known by some of us as the fiery Anita in 1961's West Side Story (she will also appear in this year's remake), younger generations will know her work on The Electric Company, HBO's OZ and most recently Netflix's One Day at a Time. Moreno was first billed as Rosita Moreno in 1950, and the story of her evolution from that star-struck "island beauty" to an EGOT-winner is an important part of the intricate fabric of America's cultural history.
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