Image: Graur Razvan Ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Thousands of people migrate to this country to fullfill the American Dream. To offer a better education for their children, to obtain a place of their own and earn more income to survive. In other words, they seek for the opportunities not found in their countries of origin. There are many who accomplish this dream against all odds. Many others live in the shadows to avoid deportation and to be able to bringing food to the table. The anti-immigrant laws destroy the slighest hope of millions of people to come out of that darkness. To reflect this situation, some directors delve into the lives of these people to reflect their perspectives on these issues.
The movie “Under the Same Moon” shows the story of Rosario, played by Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, who works as an illegal domestic worker in Los Angeles and leaves behind her 9-year-old son Carlitos (Adrian Alonso). Upon the death of his caretaker, he embarks on his journey to Los Angeles on his own looking for his mother. Also, the new movie “A Better Life” reflects a hard-working father trying to offer a better future for his son. In reality, cases like this abound in this country. In some cases, parents have to either migrate to this country without their kids or send their American citizen children to their countries of origin. Silvia, a Mexican immigrant mother who has lived in Las Vegas for a few years, commented on sending her three children to Mexico to avoid having them go through struggles. “As a parent, it is not easy. Sometimes I question myself why I did it and I regret it. But my goal was to give them a better life with better opportunities, the ones my husband and I didn’t have when we were young.”
Another film that offers a view on immigration issues from a different perspective. This movie is called “Maria Full of Grace.” Maria Alvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno), who is 17 years old, risks her freedom and her life to be a drug mule. She walks away from a job as an assembly-line worker at a Colombian flower factory to enter the drug-smuggling world. When some individuals face financial struggles, they have to take the easy way out in order to take care of their needs in some instances. Sonia, a Salvadorean immigrant, shared her perspective on this plot. “I prefer to work as a cleaning lady instead of signing up to that. There are more options to make money without getting in trouble. I guess it’s subjective,” she concluded.
To summarize, these plots show the reality immigrants confront when searching for improvement and prosperity. It’s inevitable not to shed a tear or two and feeling a lump in my throat when seeing the distress of the characters. It’s impossible not to empathize with these stories. I would like to conclude with a real life anecdote: Many years ago, there was an 8-year-old girl who lived with her immigrants parents. In a very humble environment but happy. They always taught her right from wrong. Unfortunately, they faced financial struggles and made a tough decision: Send the little girl to El Salvador to live with her maternal grandparents. The physical distance was not easy for both parts, but a phone line kept them connected. However, that girl understands that parents sometimes make sacrifices. She grew up and returned to this country 15 years later. This is the story shared by other people who face a cruel reality with the current immigration laws. And movies reflect this more and more!
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Claudia,
I’m glad you chose to write on this subject. I’ve spent the past week doing research on the violence in cities like Juarez, and what people are willing to risk to get into America and escape the violence and poverty in Central and South America. Unfortunately, our economic and foreign policies play a major part in keeping large parts of that population in poverty and offering immigration or narco trafficking as the two best options to escape it.
Great subject matter, well written.
Reid
Hey Claudia,
I really enjoyed reading this post. I’ve had the chance to watch “Under the Same Moon” and I hope to watch the rest of these films. This subject comes close to my heart because I know people that have given up everything and have struggled in order to make it out here. Great post!
Cool idea to do a movie review! Juarez has some really outrageous stories to tell. The sex/drug trade have made people prisoners wherever they are. I am sure that since you are from Mexico you could give a unique perspective to these stories. Spanish documentaries are inaccessible for some of us. Just an idea.
I Agree with Natalier, what a great idea to use this opportunity to do a movie review. I also like the way you used the podcast as a brief introduction or synopsis to your intended film. Then you used the post to elaborate on the movie and movies that are similar to the movie. I also saw Maria full of Grace and thought it was an incredible movie on immigration and struggle. These movies are very entertaining maybe if you look into legal issues you could add an online link for people to watch the movie online.