“A Better Life”

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February 28, 2012 | 11:40 AM | By

‘Undocumented’ (vs. ‘illegal’) at the Oscars

Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Natalie Portman presents the Oscar for Best Actor at the 84th Annual Academy Awards, February 26, 2012

Might the use of the term “undocumented” during a speech at the Oscars on Sunday night signal a shift in how immigrants without permission to be in the U.S. are referred to?

The “undocumented” vs. “illegal” debate has been in the news again since the awards ceremony, during which actress Natalie Portman introduced the nominees for Best Actor. Among them was Demián Bichir, who earned his nomination for playing an immigrant gardener in “A Better Life.” In the film, Bichir’s central character aspires to have his own landscaping business so that he can better provide for his son, only to have his lack of legal status eventually thwart his ambitions.

The social justice magazine ColorLines, which last year launched a campaign called “Drop the I-Word,” posted a clip from Portman’s introduction speech yesterday. From her speech, addressed to Bichir as he sat in the audience: “As Carlos Galindo, an undocumented immigrant fighting to give his son the opportunities he never had, you made us face very true portrait of a human being no one had ever dared us to consider before.”

It’s not clear if the words were Portman’s own or if she was reading someone else’s words from the teleprompter, but either way, the word choice – as opposed to calling the character an “illegal immigrant” – has drawn attention, including from Univision.

Officially, the standard mainstream media term continues to be “illegal immigrant,” as set forth in the AP Stylebook. But media outlets vary in the terms they use, with “illegal immigrant,” not to mention “illegals,” considered by many to be too politically charged. Some professional journalists’ groups have publicly embraced “undocumented,” including the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Society of Professional Journalists.

A third term, “unauthorized,” long used in academic and research circles, has seen more mainstream use and is favored by some as the most neutral.

It’s hard to say what kind of weight is carried by use of “undocumented” at the Oscars, where there is a long history of political issues occasionally tricking into acceptance speeches, although not typically into the presenters’ scripts. But the speech has been met with praise by immigrant advocates and others. Univision anchor Jorge Ramos (@jorgeramosnews) tweeted yesterday:

Natalie Portman used the right term “undocumented immigrant” not “illegal” at the Oscars. Words matter. http://bit.ly/y7AGdT Thanks Natalie

 

FILED UNDER: "A Better Life", Best Actor, Demian Bichir, Ilegal vs. undocumented, Natalie Portman, Oscars, Undocumented
February 27, 2012 | 3:20 PM | By

After ‘A Better Life’: Readers’ thoughts on immigrant labor

Screen shot from a scene involving day laborers in the “A Better Life” official film trailer

The Oscars have come and gone and Mexican actor Demián Bichir, who was nominated for his role as an undocumented immigrant in the film “A Better Life,” didn’t come away with a golden statuette. But Oscar or not, a popular post related to the film continues to draw comments after launching a lively discussion over immigrant labor and the root causes of illegal immigration.

In the film, Bichir plays Carlos Galindo, a gardener and single father working in Los Angeles who buys a pickup truck in hopes of owning his own landscaping business and better providing for his teenage son. His dream is eventually thwarted by his lack of legal status.

The post featured a different kind of film review, a Q&A with an immigrant day laborer from Guatemala who shared several things in common with Carlos Galindo. Hugo Villatoro, who saw “A Better Life” for the first time last week with a group of other day laborers during a special screening in Los Angeles, reflected on how the film related to events in his own life, and how Bichir’s character represented “the dream that we carry with all of us.”

The post led to a long string of comments. Here’s a sampling from the conversation, which was kicked off by Bonzo:

If it keeps going like it is, the United States won’t be any better than the countries they are leaving. More disrespect for the laws of this country are exactly what we don’t need. The U.S. taxpayers should not be forced, (by our government or the political unrest south of the border), to be responsible for the population-exploding trespassers whose presence continues to swell our government’s expenditures on “entitlements”.

Adfawe replied (an excerpt only, as it got a bit nasty after this):

would you like to do the jobs that these people step up to do for all of us “americans”?

Lawanda0808 wrote:

Hugo is a human being with children/family he loves and wants to support just like white males in America…..who by the way, make the laws to keep him out…..like the unions (in their beginning) made laws to keep minorities out (of competition)…like the US Congress and Senate pass laws to increase their salaries, do insider trading legally, reduce federal taxes for themselves and their rich cronies.  If Hugo had enough money he could “buy” his way into the US legally.  Their should be disrespect for unjust laws…..and we all working together to change them.

Border Native continued:

The situation is so much more complex than Bonzo wants to believe. The people crossing the border are looking for survival and they come one-by-one… not with an army like the US did in 1847 (and other occasions) to take more than half of Mexico’s territory. If the US, who can overthrow governments all over the world, wanted to, it could easily close the border… again, if it really wanted to, but who would do all the work that these “illegal” workers do for the miserable “legal” tender that they get? The US government WANTS these people coming over the border… let’s not be or pretend to be naive or patriotic and tell the truth!

Bonzo, who posted a few times, replied:

I do agree that the government is complicit in this scheme; how many wrongs does it take to make a right? Illegal entry is just that. I don’t know why the government doesn’t come up with some sort of temporary work visa system for the work and workers you mention. I don’t believe that naivete has anything to do with it. Are you implying that the United States is capable of absorbing every uneducated manual laborer that Mexico and South America can produce? The notion that illegal immigrants only do “jobs that Americans won’t do” is the naive position; I have seen illegal carpenters, pipe layers, masons, plumbers, mechanics, equipment operators, and on and on.

Unless the problems in Mexico and South America are solved by the citizens of those countries, this dilemma won’t go away, but that still doesn’t entitle people to cross the border into the States and procreate children they can’t afford. The school system where I live is in deplorable shape over all the ESL disaster, (as well as other problems), and our local county hospital is barely able to tread water financially due to the burden of “indigent” care. I’m sorry, but that is the truth whether you believe it or not.

Bffalicia added:

Bonzo, these people are not “illegal.”  They are undocumented.  Once upon a time, your ancestors were probably in the same predicament our neighbors to the South are in. They are undocumented. They are still people and actually, most undocumented immigrants would rather stay in their respective countries, but many years ago, NAFTA was created, and the opportunity for these people to ride the free market economy slapped them in the face. In Mexico, for example, the farmer could plant for his family and sell crops. Guess where most of the corn that Mexicans eat, comes from? Yup. The US. I don’t know about you, but I would drown kittens if it meant that I could put food on the table for my children.

Another from Bonzo:

My ancestors came from Switzerland, legally, and one stipulation at the time was that at no time should they ask for, or receive, ANY form of government aid or assistance. The population explosion in Mexico is a problem, but the solution should not be on the shoulders of the U.S. taxpayer. NO ONE should have children they can’t provide for – that automatically creates an unfair burden on others, WHATEVER country they are from. Again, how many wrongs equal a right? (By the way, “undocumented” makes it sound like they are entirely welcome, and that they just forgot to sign in at the door).

And this from Cmok Wawelski, who also posted a couple of times:

Current so called ‘immigration’ system is in fact new slavery in this country. It creates a class of people with no options and after years or even decades here – nowhere to go. Go and ask the farmer to show you ID’s of people picking crops. Ask what will happen if they  are gone.

Care to join the conversation? Post your thoughts below.

FILED UNDER: "A Better Life", Demian Bichir, Oscars
February 24, 2012 | 1:41 PM | By

The real ‘A Better Life’: A day laborer’s take on the Oscar-nominated film

One of the films being considered for an Oscar in this Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony has an unlikely hero, an immigrant gardener working in Los Angeles. In “A Better Life,” Mexican actor Demián Bichir plays Carlos Galindo, an undocumented immigrant whose lack of legal status eventually thwarts the ambitions he has for himself and his teenage son.

The film provides an intimate glimpse into the world of the people who keep L.A.’s lawns mowed and homes painted, and when work is scarce, sometimes seek work as day laborers on street corners, as Carlos does. And when the truck that Carlos buys, hoping to own his own landscaping business, gets stolen, it provides a window into what it’s like to live underground, too afraid to call police to report a crime for fear of deportation.

“A Better Life” has earned stellar reviews from critics and a Best Actor nomination for Bichir. But what do the people that he portrays onscreen think of it? This week, at a national conference of day laborers in Los Angeles, the film was screened before an audience of men much like Carlos Galindo: carpenters, roofers, gardeners and others who work as day laborers, most of them immigrants from Mexico and Central America, some with papers and some without.

Offering his take on the film in this Q&A is Hugo Villatoro, 59, a day laborer from Guatemala who has lived seven years in the United States. Like Carlos, he’s undocumented, although he doesn’t fear coming forward. Villatoro was one of several Southern California day laborers involved in a lawsuit challenging the city of Redondo Beach on an ordinance that would have prohibited them from soliciting work on the street; the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in their favor this week. He works mostly in construction and roofing, but will take a landscaping gig when it comes.

The interview is translated from Spanish. (And warning, there is a spoiler.)

M-A: How did you relate to this movie? Was it a realistic portrayal?

Hugo: Yes, it was realistic. I could especially relate to the feelings of the younger protagonist, the boy, which had a big impact on me because a year and a half ago, one of my sons was coming here, my youngest son, and he got lost in the desert. That had a huge impact on me. I didn’t know what had happened, I only heard that he’d gotten lost, and nobody told me why. I started trying to find him. People got me phone numbers to consulates, and that was how I found him. He was lost in the desert and thank God, days had gone by when he came out onto a street. And it was there, thank God, that immigration found him.

So it had a big impact on me watching the film when the young man said goodbye to his father, when his father was being was deported, and he stayed behind. It really affected me, because this is something I’ve lived.

M-A: When Carlos’ truck gets stolen, he can’t simply call the police to report the crime. What is it like not being able to do things like this?

Hugo: Well, for example, we went to work for a (man) and he owed me $1,000. Another friend, he owed him $1,600, and another was owed $1,800. We took him to court, but there were not enough elements there – he didn’t have a contractor’s license – for us to be able to make him pay us that money.

M-A: You’re not the typical case.

Hugo: No, many people don’t do that out of fear….I’m not afraid, but many others have a great deal of fear. That is what happens for many people. For example, on my corner, there are up to 100 or 150 day laborers (who solicit work there), and only three of us are here at this conference. It’s because of that same fear, saying no, immigration might come, they might point the finger at us. But it’s not like that.

M-A: How does Carlos, the hero of the film, represent the ambitions of day laborers and others who come to this country seeking work? When he buys his truck, he buys it with the hope that he can better provide for his son. Can you relate?

Hugo: He represents the dream that we all carry with us. In  my case, I know that if I do anything, I am going to do it for my children. At this age, I may not have many years left, but if I can do something positive, I will do it for them.  Last night watching the film we saw how he bought his truck, with his son in mind. But he came with that objective, as we all do. We come with hopes of buying a car, having a house, having a little bit of land. That is the dream that we bring with us.

And to create a better life for ourselves while we are here, because the truth is that there is a better life here than in our countries. This is a powerful country. I know that work now is very slow, but if we compare it with our countries, it’s still better here.  Whatever it may be like here, here you find everything. Nobody here is barefoot. Here, everyone has on good shoes, good clothes.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: "A Better Life", Academy Awards, Carlos Galindo, Day laborers, Demian Bichir, Oscars
February 8, 2012 | 9:59 AM | By

‘What every immigrant parent tells his kid’: What’s your story?

Photo by Nisha A/Flickr (Creative Commons)

There’s a conversation that began on the site recently after I posted a scene from the Oscar-nominated film “A Better Life,” one in which the immigrant protagonist explains to his teenage son in so many words why it is that he makes the sacrifices that he makes.

The character, an undocumented gardener named Carlos Galindo played by actor Demián Bichir, says:

“You are the most important thing in this world to me, mijo. I wanted you to be able to be anything you wanted to be. That would make me feel worthy, if you became somebody.”

Recently, reader Cesar Zambrano tweeted after watching the film clip: “That is what every immigrant parent tells his kid.”

And although the words of these conversations throughout the generations have varied, or sometimes been unspoken, it’s true to one degree or another in many immigrant families. The message resonates. Here’s what another reader, Miguel Corona, shared yesterday:

While I don’t remember my parents ever having a conversation like this with me – they really didn’t have to. We as a family knew about their sacrifice. We saw how hard they worked for us. They were the first to rise in the morning before the sun came up and the last to turn off the lights at the end of the day.

I’d like to hear more readers’ thoughts. What conversations like these took place in your home? How did they make you feel then, and did they have an effect on your life?

FILED UNDER: "A Better Life", Demian Bichir, Immigrant parents
January 24, 2012 | 11:05 AM | By

A scene from ‘A Better Life’ with Oscar nominee Demián Bichir (Video)

Among the Oscar nominations just announced is one for Demián Bichir, the veteran Mexican actor who portrayed an undocumented father in director Chris Weitz’s “A Better Life.” The film revolves around his character, Carlos, an undocumented gardener in Los Angeles who hopes to build a landscaping business and earn a better living for himself and his son.

As the film unfolds, Carlos’s hopes are dashed when the used pickup truck he’s purchased for work is stolen. It’s then that the more subtle differences between life in the shadows and life above ground begin to reveal themselves: Where a citizen or legal resident might call police, Carlos feels that he can’t afford the risk. So he takes the search for his truck into his own hands.

Bichir is one of a handful of Latino nominees this year, among them Argentine-born Bérénice Bejo from “The Artist. Until now, Bichir was perhaps best known to U.S. audiences as the Tijuana mayor in the television series Weeds, and as Fidel Castro in the two-part 2008 Che production.

The scene from “A Better Life” above is a good example of Bichir’s work in the film; in the video below uploaded by the Spanish-language entertainment site DesdeHollywood, Bichir talks about his character, the gardener Carlos Galindo. (The interview is in English.)

Bichir was also recently featured in a short video by the “Define American” immigrant advocacy project of ex-Washington Post reporter Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer winner who publicly admitted to being an undocumented immigrant last year.

FILED UNDER: "A Better Life", Chris Weitz, Demian Bichir, Oscar nominations
June 21, 2011 | 4:18 PM | By

The complications of ‘A Better Life’ in the shadows

Today’s Los Angeles Times featured an interview with Chris Weitz, the director of a new feature film that reveals one of the many complicated facets of life in the United States without papers.

Titled “A Better Life,” the film revolves around Carlos, an undocumented gardener whose hopes for building a landscaping business – and the means with which to provide a better life for his teenage son – are pinned on the purchase of a used pickup truck. When the truck is stolen, he finds himself in a familiar predicament: A call to police, the norm for anyone else, could be risky. He doesn’t call, and the film follows father and son as they search for their stolen livelihood.

From the interview with Weitz, who is the grandson of Mexican film star Lupita Tovar:

“All he does is work,” Weitz said of Carlos during a break in filming at the bar. “He is invisible — and he prefers to remain invisible. Because to raise his head is to risk getting in trouble.”

To remain in the shadows necessitates concentric circles of concealment. “It might as well be a science-fiction film,” Weitz added of how he and screenwriter Eric Eason tried to reveal the hidden layers of an illegal immigrant’s life. “There are worlds within worlds within worlds — almost a parallel universe.”

I regrettably had to pass on a screening of “A Better Life” last month due to a conflicting assignment, but hope to catch it. It premieres today at the Los Angeles FIlm Festival and opens in a limited release Friday.

Carlos is played by Demián Bichir, a veteran Mexican film star who is perhaps best known to U.S. audiences as the Tijuana mayor in the television series Weeds, and as Fidel Castro in the recent two-part Che film production. There’s also an appearance by the wildly popular L.A. Univision radio host Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo, who plays himself.

FILED UNDER: Culture/Identity, Politics/Justice, "A Better Life", Chris Weitz, Demian Bichir, Los Angeles Film Festival, Weeds