In his feature film debut, filmmaker Zia Mohajerjasbi shows a talent for believable characters and an eye for urban locations.

Set in Seattle, “Know Your Place” follows 15-year-old Eritrean American Robel Haile as he navigates the city to run errands for his mother. Writer-director Zia Mohajerjasbi has a deft eye for the idiosyncrasies of an immigrant community living as one big extended family in this northwestern metropolis. He conjures full-bodied portraits of the story’s characters, though he isn’t always in control of the narrative’s rhythm. The combination makes for a moving, if uneven, viewing experience.

Robel (Joseph Smith) lives with his mother Amuna (Selamawit Gebresus), his older sister Fayven (Esther Kibreab) and his ailing grandfather (Haileselassie Kidane). There is no other father figure and the film hints at the daily struggles of this immigrant family. When they receive a late-night phone call from Eritrea asking for urgent help, Amuna tasks Robel with delivering a heavy suitcase full of medicine and some money across town, destined for a sick relative back home.

His friend Fahmi (Natnael Mebrahtu) accompanies him and along the way they encounter helpers and obstacles, meet a series of characters and situations that delay their arrival at their intended destination. Throughout this journey, Mohajerjasbi portrays a young man torn between two realities, one within an empathetic extended family and another in the alienating big city.