Chris Weitz did a screening of this film at SMC, where I study film, and the reactions of the audience were engaging. The room was filled with a great aura and that was because the screening was filled with people with ethnicities from all over the world and that made the experience a lot more rewarding.
This guy is the same one that brought us American Pie and the second installment of the Twilight series? Yes he is, but let me tell you something, if these paychecks will make him do more movies like this one, then bring another 4 twilight adaptations right now!
The movie is about "Los Mojados", these people who everyday crosses the border from Mexico to the US to look for "A Better Life" like the title implies, trying not to forget their roots, their culture and at the same time struggling to find money to pay the rent, to eat and to survive in the United States without a SSN and without ID. You will wonder why we need to prove we're not from Mars with a visa if God already gave us permission to be here on earth every single second of the movie, absurd and unfair things this world has.
The acting by Demián Bichir, who looks like a younger Vicente Fernández to me, is invisible. You sometimes think you're watching a documentary if it wasn't for the glossy production value of the flick.
This movie needs to be seen by a wider audience, you need to look for it. If you do not feel touch by it, you're surely made out of stone.
The direction by Chris Weitz captures the essence of East LA in a second. There's a scene in the movie where in a matter of 3 minutes you can see how many cultures collide in this side of Los Angeles and how this story can repeat itself in several cultures.
This is also a story about true love between a father and a son, and how you can forget about everything and try every little thing to give your child the things he deserves.
One of the best little movies I have seen this year.
PS: If you like this one, and you're not afraid of B&W cinematography (no, it is not in 3D either) run and rent De Sica's Umberto D., a great masterpiece of Italian neorealism.
