Experiencing Interruptions?

Greater Later (A Cracked Smile)

While using his estranged father as the subject of a thesis film in Miami about the wiles of the concrete jungle, AeRiel Capo, an enthusiastic grad student attempts to capture it all from start to finish in order to tell a revealing tale about the city's underworld.
AeRiel’s journey begins with an interview about Joey’s past, which quickly escalates as they become involved in the gritty realities of addiction and crime and AeRiel finding himself drawn into the depths of his father’s struggles with drug abuse and the impact on his strained relationships, particularly with his girlfriend Karina and himself, forms the crux of the story.
Upon the dissolution of Joey’s relationship with Karina, AeRiel’s film evolves into a deeply personal exploration of their father-son relationship, unearthing Joey’s vulnerabilities and regrets. The narrative reaches a turning point with AeRiel’s return to California and a transformative call from Joey, leading to AeRiel’s commitment to support his father’s fight against addiction. The journey concludes in Los Angeles but not before a trip to New York, where AeRiel pitches his film, aspiring to share their story of forgiveness, resilience, and hope for a better future.

  • AeRiel Capo
    Director
  • AeRiel Capo
    Writer
  • AeRiel Capo
    Producer
  • Joseph Ventrano (Joey)
    Key Cast
    "Joey"
  • AeRiel Capo
    Key Cast
    "AeRiel Capo"
  • AeRiel Capo
    Original Music By
  • Jarryd Joesph
    Co- Producer
  • Ra'chael Brianne
    Director of Graphics
  • AeRiel Capo
    Director of Graphics
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    50 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - AeRiel Capo

As a filmmaker, actor, and musician from humble beginnings, this artist brings a very unique perspective to the table and is looking to change lives and achieve greatness through the films he produces. Aeriel is a Los Angeles based filmmaker who is from Miami, Florida and got his start filming music videos and then went on to direct/act in//edit/produce and create the original soundtrack for his first feature length documentary “Greater Later (A Cracked Smile)”. Aeriel is inspired by the monopoly he has had on life experiences from homelessness while being raised by a single mother in a community plagued by a lingering crack-cocaine epidemic to beating the odds and overcoming the statistics to gain his BS in Mathematics from Alabama State University and his MFA in Acting and Filmmaking from Cal ARTS (California Institute of the Arts). Aeriel attributes the individuality found in his art to focusing not on what todays society romanticizes but on the outcome of the romanticized by bringing his personal situations to the public eye and in doing so he brings the audience into his world and hopes to inspire other artists to do the same.

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Director Statement

Miami, Florida was and will always be a place of wonder in America; somewhere to find love and somewhere to live lawless, a place offering promise and where peace clashes with promiscuity, a city forever plagued with two faces because of its diverse history (being the site of the Cocaine wars in the 70’s) and current aura (having a lingering Crack-Cocaine epidemic). The “Magic City” symbolizes the hope of anything being possible mixed with a blossom of culture, drugs and violence which can prove to be tumultuous at times but even still it will always be somewhere I call home.
This particular story is very personal to me; ultimately it’s about my father and I and our relationship.
Growing up in a poverty-stricken, single parent household in Miami without my father, due to his addiction and imprisonment, was extremely difficult and with adversity pruning my ambition and my mother being a continuous positive influence in my life I was able to rid myself of mindsets and environments that were serving my decline and search for something other than a negative outcome. By embarking upon this journey of making my first feature length documentary I believed, and now know, that I could give my father and everyone else who has grown up in similar predicaments as he and I a sense of worth by showing them that life (no matter how turbulent) can serve as an inspirational tale purposed towards the benefit of others and themselves.