''Quality of Life'', also known as ''Against the Wall'', is a 2004

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film about the story of two

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

writers in the

Mission District The Mission District (Spanish: ''Distrito de la Misión''), commonly known as The Mission (Spanish: ''La Misión''), is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission District's name is ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. Directed by Benjamin Morgan, ''Quality of Life'' stars

Lane Garrison Lane Edward Garrison (born May 23, 1980) is an American actor best known for the role of David "Tweener" Apolskis on the television series ''Prison Break''. He appeared in the pilot episode of the El Rey network's series ''From Dusk till Dawn''. ...

, Brian Burnam, Luis Saguar and

Mackenzie Firgens Mackenzie Firgens is an American actress. Biography Firgens studied theatre at the Goodman School of Drama at DePaul University. She has performed with the Tony Award winning San Francisco Mime Troupe. Firgens made her feature film debut starr ...

. Morgan co-wrote the screenplay with Burnam, who is a former graffiti writer. The film was shot and edited in the Mission District, home to one of the world's most active and influential graffiti scenes. The film was shown only at film festivals in 2004 and went into limited release October 12, 2005.

Cast

as Heir * Brian Burnam as Vain *

Luis Saguar Luis Saguar (October 6, 1957 – July 8, 2009) was an American writer, professor and actor in theater and films. Saguar played characters as diverse as wise elders, terrifying addicts, and strange sidekicks. He was also co-founder of Campo Santo, ...

as Pops *

as Lisa *

Fred Pitts Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rodr ...

as Robert * Andrew A. Rolfes as Officer Charles *

Tajai Tajai Massey, known by the stage name Tajai (born April 21, 1975), is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the four founding members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief and, with Souls of Misch ...

as Dino *

Bryna Weiss ''Polyommatus'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. Its species are found in the Palearctic realm. Taxonomy Recent molecular studies have demonstrated that '' Cyaniris'', ''Lysandra'', and ''Neolysandra'' are different genera f ...

as Grandma * Timothy Garcia as Jimmy "Tad" * Ezra J. Stanley as Kid

Awards

* Special Mention jury award,

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

* Best Youth Film, Stockholm International Film Festival Jr.

Soundtrack

No official soundtrack was released, but these tracks were included in the film: * Andre Nickatina - The Soul of a Coke Dealer * Hi Fi Drowning - Big Spring * Bonobo - Noctuary * Maroons - Best Bonus Beat * Top.R. - Soul Cancer * Hi Fi Drowning - Atomatic * Halou - Tube Fed * Halou - Milkdrunk * MR Lif - New man Theme * Bonobo - Change Down * Amon Tobin - Get Your Snack On * Lifesavas - Soldierfied * Meat Beat Manifesto feat. DJ Collage - Echo in Space Dub * Meat Beat Manifesto - Asbestos Lead Asbestos (toxic mix) * Calhoun (Tim Locke) - Sunken Eyes, Shakey Knees * Modest Mouse - BROKE * Hi Fi Drowning - Dim * Halou - Honey Thief * Sebadoh - License to Confuse * Good Riddance - The Hardest Part * Freedy Johnston - This Perfect World * Built To Spill - Weather * 8 Stories - In Sleep

References

* *

External links

* * 2004 films 2004 drama films Mission District, San Francisco American drama films Hood films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{2000s-drama-film-stub