Leon Ichaso's "Pinero" tells the story of the tumultuous, ordeal-filled life of Latino poet and playwright Miguel Pinero. In 1974, his play "Short Eyes," which he started writing while in prison, was nominated for a Tony award. An unusual man, and definitely a gifted one, he could sit by a city fountain at night dressed in a luxurious suit, after stealing from a store in New York.

Although Pinero lacked an understanding of the generally accepted rules of society, he was gifted with a talent for seeing through things and the ability to describe them in a masterful way. He wrote about what he had seen and known from childhood: The life of filthy slums filled with violence, drugs, theft and hard drinking - horrifying for the middle classes, but a stark reality for countless people around the world.

The film contains a number of black and white episodes, glimpses of Pinero's recollections of his own life. The audience shares Pinero's first time trying drugs, his first sexual experience, a dance with his mother on the roof of a house and a prostitute who becomes a lover. That was his life, and that was what his plays were all about.

Watching films like this always involves the risk that the life story of a famous person may appear strange and even incomprehensible. This might be true with many movies, but is definitely not with "Pinero." The film enthralls from the very start, keeps one excited until the end and is unlikely to leave anyone cold.

Together with Pinero (masterfully played by Benjamin Bratt) we walk down the dark corners of New York, have the guts to tell a middle-aged pedophile to get lost, mourn the loss of our mother and await the inevitable end.

The film is more than just the life story of an extraordinary and talented man. It also provokes thoughts about the essence of literature as a kind of art that reflects all facets of life, about social injustice that forces people into brutality, and love and friendship. But most importantly, it examines the extraordinary life of an extraordinary person.