I picked this up, not knowing anything about it, after seeing listed it in the mess of Indie Spirit nominees (Best Actor, Demián Bechir). There’s not a lot of awards fodder available on DVD yet so I’ll take what I can get. Discovering little jewels like this are the reason I try to avoid hype whenever possible.
Carlos Galindo is an illegal immigrant in East L.A., struggling to find steady work as a gardener so he can support his teenage son and steer him away from negative inner-city influences. A great opportunity arises when a friend with a steady business decides to retire back to Mexico, if only Carlos can scrape together enough money to buy his truck and tools from him.
It took about 10 minutes for me to have that light bulb click and I went, “Wait...it’sThe Bicycle Thief!” (Or is is The Bicycle Thieves? Why is the title translated differently everywhere I look? Whatever. Ladri di Biciclette.) While it’s impossible to match Vittorio Di Sica’s masterpiece, A Better Life very effectively transplants the story to a contemporary situation and puts a human face on a contentious issue. I have no intent to make this blog a political sounding board, so I will abstain from taking any stances on the illegal immigration question, but I will say that this film paints a genuine portrait of the dilemma that affects millions in this country.
For the most part it is a simply told story with standard expositional turns that mostly match its predecessor, but there are some effectively tense scenes, fine acting, and a few wonderful visual transitions. I especially enjoyed an early conceit during the long ride home from a job, where Carlos looks longingly out the window as they drive past the beaches, restaurants, and wealthy neighborhoods where they work. The scenery gradually changes with each shot until we are smack dab in the neighborhoods where dilapidated housing, street gangs, poverty and crime are up front and personal.
This close juxtaposition between affluence and hardship is a strong thread in the film, as is the need to bridge the generation gap between the father and son. Especially since he lacks a mother figure, Carlos must pass down the values of uprightness and a good work ethic, but it is hard when there are literally no options for any sort of legal employment or recourse for transgressions. A Better Life certainly won’t solve any political debates and it falls short of inspiring a wave of cinema “nuevorealismo,” but it still has a strong message to import.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go watch Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure again.
2012-1-19 jmm
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