This undocumented immigrant is surrounded by a scary insecurity. Buying a truck to start a business despite having no driver’s license one moment, and having to find a fellow illegal who steals the truck the next. All along the way, single-parenting a teenager teetering on the edge of joining a gang.
So goes Chris Weitz’s “A Better Life”, which given the scarcity of films about the immigrant experience, serves as a nice primer. Yet the dead-end plight of a hard-working, wholesome, values-driven landscaper, Carlos Galindo and his son Luis, is anything but a joyless exercise in agitprop. Carlos (an outstanding Demian Bichir) seems to pull from an inner reservoir that precludes despair no matter how desperate things become.
Luis (Jose Julian) first approaches Carlos as a freak, mimicking American teenager haughtiness. That Carlos has a carefree outlook that doesn’t preclude taking chances (including Luis in the danger) brings them closer together while Carlos’ very existence in America hangs in the balance. Luis’ ability to stay out of jail also is at stake–something he’s not even aware of initially. His Dad abhors the criminals he hangs out with. It takes a shared criminal act for a greater good to save Luis.
Not incidentally, A Better Life will give you a real good idea of how messed up our immigration laws of deportation are. Weitz (About A Boy) also paints chilling scenes of ridiculously tight living conditions and equally poignant queues for meager employment opportunities. His choice of parallel with the 1940s De Sica film Bicycle Thieves is forgivable to the extent A Better Life pays it proper tribute since the Italian classic is undeniably one of the most influential films ever made. If you’re willing to avoid a couple of plot holes, it’s much worth it. You’ll also be experiencing one of the finest performance of the year to date.
Bichir is apparently a star in Mexico. Who knew?
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