“Story Ave.” is a Bronx tale about graffiti, growing up and coming to grips with grief.

The debut feature of commercial director Aristotle Torres, it’s immersed in street life, a vivid portrait of gangs — “crews” — that spread their name and mark their turf with “bubble letter” art and logos, and occasionally defend it with pistols.

It sets up as a “life choices” lecture and relationship between a teen street artist (Assante Blackk of “This is Us”) trying to pass his “initiation,” and the widowed MTA (trains/transit) lifer he tries to rob, played by the terrific and instantly-recognizable character actor Luis Guzmán.

But as good as the leads are in what is written and cast as a star vehicle for them, Melvin Gregg (TV’s “Snowfall”) almost walks away with the picture as the charismatic, “prophetic” leader of the OTL (“Outside the Lines” gang) and mentor to young Kadir, the artist.

As “Skemes,” he has a lot of the best lines, maybe even the best advice.

“You know writers is fighters,” he preaches. Life is all about “family,” “the one you’re born into, or the one you choose.”

Kadir (Blackk) has chosen the OTL, thanks largely to his running mate, graffiti assistant and “twin” Mo (Alex R. Hibbert). He’s just got to pay attention to Skemes’ guidance.

“Know your role,” the streetwise poet, artist and straight-up thug counsels.

Kadir, aka “Kid,” just lost his brother. His mother’s (Olivia Grayson) inconsolable. And Kadir, a smart kid, is acting out, at least in part as a response to this trauma and his role in it.

He accepts the pistol Skemes gives him, takes on the “stick-up” as initiation rite and after a false start, picks his victim — the older man on the train (Guzmán). Yeah, that’s going to change his life, and in all the predictable ways.

Director and co-writer Torres milks sequences, scenes and relationships for all they’re worth in this ambling, downbeat drama. There’s violence and the threat of it, but Torres is more interested in the kid’s missteps, in Luis (Guzmán), his waitress friend (Coral Peña) who also happens to be a photographer and the kid’s journey — through them — to see that there’s more to life than his “hood.”

The narrative starts out immersing us in this world, challenging us to cut through the slang and street enunciation of the characters, and finishes with something of a flourish. But the stumbling middle acts kind of hit the wall, making me wonder if some critics were seeing a shorter cut of “Story Ave.” (it’s listed as 12 minutes shorter than it really is on IMDb) than the one reviewed.

It’s still a sharp portrait of a world we don’t often see on screen, the art and art pretentions of those in it and the violence that hangs over their work, especially if they paint over a rival gang’s handiwork.

Rating: unrated, violence, drug abuse, profanity

Cast: Assante Blackk, Luis Guzmán, Melvin Gregg, Olivia Grayson, Alex R. Hibbert and Coral Peña

Credits: Directed by Aristotle Torres, scripted by Aristotle Torres and Bonsu Thompson. A Kino Lorber release.

Running time: 1:46