MAD BILLS TO PAY (or DESTINY, DILE QUE NO SOY MALO)
Joel Alfonso Vargas · 2025 · USA · 103 min
Get tickets at Film Forum19-year-old Dominican American Rico (Juan Collado) figures he’ll ride out the summer selling his homemade “nutcracker” cocktails (rum, vodka, juice) on Orchard Beach and hanging out with his friends. But after his girlfriend, Destiny (Destiny Checo), moves into his family’s already-crowded apartment, the two must face a new, adult reality. Bronx-born debut filmmaker Vargas based MAD BILLS TO PAY on his own experiences, shot the film guerilla-style in 14 days, and cites influences as disparate as John Cassavetes, Pedro Costa, and Andrea Arnold.