By: Daniel Nardini
Every now and then a gem of a movie comes along. This is true about the film, “A Better Life” by director Chris Weitz. The film, of all things, stars Damian Bichir as an undocumented immigrant from Mexico named Carlos Galindo. Galindo works for a friend who owns a business planting gardens for American upper-middle class residents. Galindo has a teenage son named Luis (played by Jose Julien), who is becoming more rebellious.
One day, Galindo’s friend returns to Mexico, but gives his work truck to Galindo so that Galindo can start his own business. Meanwhile, Luis is having trouble in school and is drifting towards the gangs. Suddenly, Galindo’s truck is stolen, and both Galindo and his son team up to try and find it. The film shows the rough life of an undocumented. Galindo has to sleep on a couch of a small crowded apartment. Like so many other undocumented, he has to hide and play a cat and mouse game with the police and immigration.
The amazing thing about the film is that it deals with people almost never dealt with in U.S. cinema at all—the undocumented. We see through this film the human side of those so many Americans call “illegals.” We see both Galindo and Luis struggling in a land far from home and trying to make a better life so they can have a good life in either Mexico if they choose to go back or the United States if they can become legal. The film of course does not deal with the immigration issue, but it does make us think about how hard the life of immigrants—whether legal or not—is. Because of this, I highly recommend seeing the film “A Better Life.”
On the Film “A Better Life”
By: Daniel Nardini
One day, Galindo’s friend returns to Mexico, but gives his work truck to Galindo so that Galindo can start his own business. Meanwhile, Luis is having trouble in school and is drifting towards the gangs. Suddenly, Galindo’s truck is stolen, and both Galindo and his son team up to try and find it. The film shows the rough life of an undocumented. Galindo has to sleep on a couch of a small crowded apartment. Like so many other undocumented, he has to hide and play a cat and mouse game with the police and immigration.
The amazing thing about the film is that it deals with people almost never dealt with in U.S. cinema at all—the undocumented. We see through this film the human side of those so many Americans call “illegals.” We see both Galindo and Luis struggling in a land far from home and trying to make a better life so they can have a good life in either Mexico if they choose to go back or the United States if they can become legal. The film of course does not deal with the immigration issue, but it does make us think about how hard the life of immigrants—whether legal or not—is. Because of this, I highly recommend seeing the film “A Better Life.”