Dylan Rush’s The Ice Cream Man combines characters of various cultural and ethnic backgrounds, as they learn to co-exist in America. Children, as the consumers of ice cream, represent America with their essence of freedom, while Venica, California serves as a melting pot. It is this mixture that embodies America with its forced nature to cause coexistence. Rush chooses to express these notions through ice cream truck drivers.
A former Soviet male and a female Korean immigrant both start in the land of opportunity with their independent ice-cream truck businesses. The ice cream business causes them to clash, but when an African American group of friends and neighbors serves as the catalyst between the two immigrants they are only then able to make amends and coexist in their Venice neighborhood.
While the characteristics of the African-Americans with their stereotypical language and style of dress was unnecessary, the filmmaker does succeed at directing his actors well.
For Dylan Rush’s editing the film is worth a look. For its sense of color and timing and its reliance on natural acting and facial expressions The Ice Cream Man’s quaint story is complimented well stylistically. To find out more go to: www.IceCreamManTheMovie.com. The film screened at The Other Venice Film Festival with feature film “Road Kings.”
Michelle Paster