The San Francisco International Film Festival opened this year with La Mission, filmed in and about the Mission District. Directed by Peter Bratt, it centers around Che (Benjamin Bratt), a single father, lowrider car aficionado, and hot Muni bus driver.

The opening shot swoons into the city from an aerial view and into the gritty corner of 16th and Mission, where lo and behold the 14-Mission bus pulls up with our hero at the wheel. He tells people to step it up and move on back. Che is immediately lovable. I hate it when people get on Muni like confused, drugged snails. Che then tells everyone to get along “because we’re all neighbors” and closes the bus door. Love him!

When teenagers get on with music blasting from a boom box, Che puts an end to it right away. Tattered up, hair slicked back, geared up in Muni brown complete with a tight little vest, Che makes Chuck Norris look like a kitty cat.

I’m not sure if this film will be released in theaters, but if it does, the diverse San Francisco backdrops are enough to make it worth seeing. In a way, the Mission, the Castro, and North Beach all play a role in telling the story. And some endearing scenes take place at the Muni bus depot in Potrero Hill.

Che is far from perfect and he struggles with “a lifetime of destructive habits,” but I for one wouldn’t mind getting on his bus.

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Tags: 14-Mission, Potrero Hill depot
Posted in diaries, funny, muni etiquette, reflection | 6 Comments »