Interstate is a character piece which follows Joaquin, a man who teaches illegals how to drive in the US and then transports them over to Utah, where you do not need to prove citizenship to take the driving test, and hands them over to his boss. Joaquin's life is one of loneliness and work, living alone in the US and running the risk of prosecution even though he himself is legal. Two interactions on one day threaten to change that – the first is with positive and hopeful student Nayeli, the other is with Homeland Security officer, who wants him to give up his boss in return for a pass on the charge of transporting illegals across state lines.
Although a student film, it must be said this is very well made from a technical point of view; the film looks really good, the use of interior and exterior locations is good (many of them in and around moving cars), sound quality is great and generally the sense of place and people is well put across. I don't mention these because there is a 'but', although I do have some reservations. These fall into the writing; generally the story is good and the characters are engaging – which is important since they are where the film is happening. The problem comes with perhaps the limit of the short film as a media – specifically that it is, y'know, short. This lack of time means we get the characters quite condensed – so we understand in broad strokes who the characters are, how they feel and how those various situations and feelings affect one another, however I did get the feeling I was not working at a person level, but a character one.
What I mean by this is that the writing hasn't totally hidden the required functionality of the people; it is most evident in Nayeli, but the same is true of Joaquin, they do have a lot about them that is necessary rather than natural. It is not as big a deal as I make it sound here, because the film still works as a whole, it is just perhaps in need of a bit more shading. The actors show this because, in fairness, their performances don't find it either. Nieves is a solid lead but his character and his changes are played out a bit too obviously. Rodriguez is a nice sparky presence which the plot requires, however similarly, she plays it with a very straight bat.
It is still an engaging character piece though, which is well made (and not just 'for a student film'), and it really is only in the finer aspects of the finish where it shows its limits a bit.
