Most of you might recognize Joey Sasso from his time on Netfix’s The Circle, on Perfect Match, or even recently on Amazon Freevee’s The Goat. However, for a little over a decade, Joey Sasso has been trying to bring his baby, Young Lion of the West, to life. After much hard work, Sasso’s film hit Prime Video on Friday, July 19.

I am not a stranger to the passion project, as Sasso and I became friends after partaking in a press junket of Perfect Match. I was in LA, and we sat down and talked about the film, his love for film, and his desire to bring this movie to the world. I knew then that Sasso would make this happen, and seeing this passion project come to life makes me incredibly happy and proud of him.

I watched the film a little over a year ago, rewatched it recently before the release, and enjoyed it quite a bit. You don’t see this type of bold and raw filmmaking anymore. Young Lion of the West feels like a movie straight out of the 1980s. Sasso gives an emotional, raw, and personal performance that showcases him in a way audiences have never seen him before.

For those looking to check it out, it does lean heavily into the Rated R word with sex, nudity, and drug use. Otherwise, if those aren’t things that make you shy away from a movie, I highly recommend checking out Young Lion of the West, which boasts a very strong cast and a tight script. More importantly, check out the film to support Independent filmmaking and Joey Sasso and his team, who made this film.

Young Lion of the West is available for purchase or rent on Prime Video now.