Now Available for streaming on Amazon, Tubi, Hoopla, Biblio+, and Fawesome.
REVIEW by Bel Hernandez Castillo
In 2018, Vanessa Marquez – a beloved actress known for her roles in ER (as Nurse Wendy Goldman) and the iconic indie film Stand and Deliver (as Ana Delgado) – was killed in her own home during what was meant to be a wellness check. The tragedy shocked her colleagues, devastated her fans, and sparked an urgent conversation about mental health, policing, and justice.
The new documentary Ninety Minutes Later, directed by Cyndy Fujikawa and produced by Daniel Villarreal, explores the heartbreaking events leading up to Marquez’s death and the aftermath that galvanized her community.
Shot with a quiet sensitivity and clear purpose, Ninety Minutes Later does more than recount the final, devastating 90 minutes of Vanessa Marquez’s life — it peels back the layers of a talented, complicated woman whose light was extinguished too soon.
The documentary traces Marquez’s early years, exploring her love of singing and acting, and the rise of a career that included a starring role in Stand and Deliver and a four year recurring part on ER (1994-1997). Along the way, it offers glimpses of her home life and the struggles with mental illness that would later isolate her. Director Fujikawa gently asks: Were there warning signs? And if so, what could have been done differently to help her?
On that fateful day, a concerned friend called South Pasadena authorities to check on Marquez, who was reportedly living in hoarding conditions and battling depression. Instead of receiving compassionate care, Marquez was approached by heavily armed police officers. After 90 tense minutes, officers decided to forcibly remove her for psychiatric evaluation. When Marquez was lured our of her her bedroom and appeared at her stairwell holding an armful of stuffed animals and a plastic BB gun, police opened fire. She was killed instantly.
The 88-minute documentary film features interviews with Marquez’s friends and co-stars of the hit indie film Stand and Deliver Villarreal, Ingrid Oliu, Patrick Baca, and Will Gotay.
What elevates the film is the deep love and loyalty of Marquez’s Stand and Deliver castmates and friends. Their enduring bonds — born from a film that created lifelong relationships — became the force that pushed this case to trial. Their insistence on seeking justice ensured Marquez’s story wasn’t forgotten.
Ninety Minutes Later uses never-before-seen footage from police body cameras to reconstruct the chain of decisions that turned a routine welfare check into a fatal encounter. It elicits anger, shock, and sorrow. It forces viewers to confront hard questions about how we treat those in crisis and whether police are equipped — or even capable — of handling situations that demand care rather than force. It also challenges us to reflect: What tools did officers think they had when they decided to forcibly want to take Marquez to a psychiatric ward, despite her pleas not to?
This was not just a patient. She was a daughter. A friend. A woman who mattered deeply to those who knew her. The documentary asks, pointedly: What is the right way to handle moments like this? And if we don’t speak up, how many more times will this tragedy play out?
Ninety Minutes Later lingers long after its closing credits — a stirring call for empathy, accountability, and change.
As her co-stars reflect in the film, Vanessa’s light may have been extinguished too soon, but her legacy endures – sparking necessary conversations about mental health, justice, and how we treat one another in moments of crisis.
Ninety Minutes Later is released through MultiVisionnaire Media and is now streaming on platforms like Amazon, Tubi, Hoopla, Biblio+, and Fawesome.