I saw this film at the San Francisco International Film Festival and, quite frankly, had very low expectations. What a surprise! The film opens with a stark introduction to the brutal desert path to the fabled North. Andres, the central character, is from Oaxaca, which is the second poorest stated in Mexico. I know Oaxaca pretty well and there is very little opportunity there. Young men especially want to get out and go North where there is opportunity -- even if that opportunity is only a plastics factory in North Carolina. It is no coincidence that Andres' little daughter was named after that state.
What was so striking about this film was its minimalist approach to a universal story of conflict between a personal dream and social responsibility. None of the characters has any direct knowledge of life in the U.S. -- it's an El Dorado type of dream for them, but it represents hope. Neatly layered on "the dream" is the conflict between selfishness and selflessness. The isolated female characters struggle with the need to escape their solitude and loneliness and their desire to help Andres achieve the dream. Even the mercenary local meat mogul moves from wanting to see Andres out of the picture and wanting to see him succeed. All of this is accomplished with "real" dialog -- no big speeches and no artificial situations. They are poor and lonely people trying to make sense of a world where the deck is very definitely stacked against them. Every member of the cast delivers a solid performance.
Another nice point about this film is the director's mastery of imagery. In the bleak Immigration office, the focus on is on the portraits of President Bush and Gov. Scharzenegger of California and so clearly say "you lose" that we don't need any more. Similarly, when the women connect with Andres, there is a fabulous but simple image that is drawn directly from traditional Mexican postcard portraits.
What was so striking about this film was its minimalist approach to a universal story of conflict between a personal dream and social responsibility. None of the characters has any direct knowledge of life in the U.S. -- it's an El Dorado type of dream for them, but it represents hope. Neatly layered on "the dream" is the conflict between selfishness and selflessness. The isolated female characters struggle with the need to escape their solitude and loneliness and their desire to help Andres achieve the dream. Even the mercenary local meat mogul moves from wanting to see Andres out of the picture and wanting to see him succeed. All of this is accomplished with "real" dialog -- no big speeches and no artificial situations. They are poor and lonely people trying to make sense of a world where the deck is very definitely stacked against them. Every member of the cast delivers a solid performance.
Another nice point about this film is the director's mastery of imagery. In the bleak Immigration office, the focus on is on the portraits of President Bush and Gov. Scharzenegger of California and so clearly say "you lose" that we don't need any more. Similarly, when the women connect with Andres, there is a fabulous but simple image that is drawn directly from traditional Mexican postcard portraits.