Lowlife

Synopsis Lowlife (2017) Tarantino-esque gruesome yet darkly comedic crime thriller drama set in a poverty and crime ridden L.A. neighborhood. Split in three intermingling segments titled "Monsters," "Fiends," and "Thugs", the story follows several desperate seedy characters who all have ties to Teddy, a local mass murdering crime boss and white slaver who kidnaps and murders illegal immigrants for their organs or enslaves them for his prostitution/rape ring. El Monstruo is a failed luchador who never breaks character, suffers from violent blackouts and works as Teddy's top henchman while trying to ignore the various horrifying aspects of the job. He's expecting a baby with Kaylee, a woman given as child to Teddy by her mother Crystal, and hopes that his child will fill the shoes of El Monstruo's legendary and heroic luchador father, something that El Monstruo failed to do and is ridden with guild over it. Keith is Teddy's accountant whose committed a crime in his younger days but never served time since his best friend Randy took the blame and went to prison for him. Eleven years later, Randy is finally leaving prison, so Keith picks him up only to discover that during his time inside Randy has become a paradoxically different person. He has a giant swastika tattooed on his face, yet he acts and talks like a black rapper from Compton. The stories begin to come together when Crystal, who runs the motel where illegal immigrants hide only to be apprehended by corrupt ICE agents and delivered to Teddy for enslavement or execution, needs a kidney donor for her dying husband, Kaylee's biological father. Teddy suggests that Kaylee might be willing to do it, but when Kaylee gets kidnapped, desperate Crystal, suspecting Teddy's involvement, picks up a shotgun and goes to find her daughter with or without El Monstruo's help. Awards: 2 wins & 4 nominations