Rated PG-13 for some violence, language and brief drug use
Cast: Demian Bichir, Jose Julian, Dolores Heredia, Joaquin Cosio, Nancy Lenehan
Director: Chris Weitz
Few possessions of the human condition are more personal than dignity. The retaining of one's self-worth can take on a multitude of forms. "A Better Life" is about a father and son who attempt to preserve their dignity through harsh conditions, each in their own way. Conflicting outlooks on life keep them at arm's length from one another.
That is, until an undertaking brings each individual's perspective into the other's clearer view. Taking its inspiration from Vittorio De Sica's 1948 classic "The Bicycle Thief," the movie is set in present day Los Angeles and focuses on struggling father Carlos Galindo (Demian Bichir), an undocumented worker who earns whatever pay he can doing landscaping. He spares no effort in providing for his fifteen-year-old American-born son, Luis (Jose Julian).
Carlos is thoughtful, hardworking, stoic, and approaches his duties with the utmost sedulity. His efforts, though substantial, don't net much. He also longs for more time with a son whom he fears is battling adolescence minus a father. (In an early heartfelt moment, Carlos wakes one morning, approaches the closed door of Luis' room. He is about to knock, but stops. Instead, he gently opens the door and observes his sleeping child for several seconds... the boy is at peace. Content. Carlos steps back out, inches the door closed, then knocks. We see how the father's heart cries out for more simple moments like that.)
Luis is an interesting personality; an embodiment of moderation. The young man is rebellious without being reckless. He's stouthearted enough to stave off oppressive forces yet does so without joining other tyrannous entities. (He befriends members of a neighborhood gang, though displays no visible interest in joining their ranks.) Luis loves and respects his father's efforts, yet struggles with the man's need to shrink away from any potential danger given his immigration status. The son sees his father as a man with no dignity. The father views his son as increasingly hard-hearted following the departure of his mother.
Carlos makes the risky decision to buy a truck in an effort to boost earnings. He also hopes to make more time for Luis. When the truck (and all of Carlos' work supplies) is stolen, father and son come together in an effort to locate the thief and retrieve the merchandise. Anything less results in destitution. This endeavor brings the contrasting outlooks into focus. When they locate the person responsible, Luis wants to punish him verbally and physically while Carlos orders him to refrain and focuses instead on the truck's retrieval. What's interesting is how the opposite approaches are both born from the womb of self-respect. The perceptions may be different, but the needs are one in the same.
Demian Bichir is probably best known to U.S. audiences for his role as the corrupt politician/drug lord on Showtime's "Weeds." Here he earns our sympathy from the start as a man who gauges his self-worth by the degree of respect he affords others, even as his son demands he stop being so trusting. As Luis, Jose Julian strikes a strong balance between defending his adolescent pride and being cognizant enough to learn from his father. At one point, he asks "why did you and mom have me?" This question devastates Carlos, yet it's not asked in a petulant or self-pitying way. He adds: "Poor people have children all the time. What's the point?" The inquiry actually demonstrates his perceptiveness. He's not self-loathing; he simply struggles to comprehend his parents' decision.
Given the immigration angle, I don't know how much political debate the film will ignite, though socio-political polemic doesn't seem to be the filmmakers' primary goal. The immigration reform debate will continue regardless. Here, director Chris Weitz ("About a Boy") has made a thoughtful, deliberately-paced movie that builds to a climax of palpable strength. (The film only steps wrong once, offering an unnecessary "four months later" epilogue that doesn't impart anything we couldn't surmise on our own. The real ending was one scene earlier.)
Still, the movie leaves a mark. Its greatest strength is its understanding of human values. The father's finest hour comes not in the love he extends or the life he provides, but in a quiet moment where he sits before a wide-eyed son he may never see again, and conveys in the most emotionally unguarded way exactly why he and and his wife had him.
* * * 1/2 out of * * * * stars
That is, until an undertaking brings each individual's perspective into the other's clearer view. Taking its inspiration from Vittorio De Sica's 1948 classic "The Bicycle Thief," the movie is set in present day Los Angeles and focuses on struggling father Carlos Galindo (Demian Bichir), an undocumented worker who earns whatever pay he can doing landscaping. He spares no effort in providing for his fifteen-year-old American-born son, Luis (Jose Julian).
Carlos is thoughtful, hardworking, stoic, and approaches his duties with the utmost sedulity. His efforts, though substantial, don't net much. He also longs for more time with a son whom he fears is battling adolescence minus a father. (In an early heartfelt moment, Carlos wakes one morning, approaches the closed door of Luis' room. He is about to knock, but stops. Instead, he gently opens the door and observes his sleeping child for several seconds... the boy is at peace. Content. Carlos steps back out, inches the door closed, then knocks. We see how the father's heart cries out for more simple moments like that.)
Luis is an interesting personality; an embodiment of moderation. The young man is rebellious without being reckless. He's stouthearted enough to stave off oppressive forces yet does so without joining other tyrannous entities. (He befriends members of a neighborhood gang, though displays no visible interest in joining their ranks.) Luis loves and respects his father's efforts, yet struggles with the man's need to shrink away from any potential danger given his immigration status. The son sees his father as a man with no dignity. The father views his son as increasingly hard-hearted following the departure of his mother.
Carlos makes the risky decision to buy a truck in an effort to boost earnings. He also hopes to make more time for Luis. When the truck (and all of Carlos' work supplies) is stolen, father and son come together in an effort to locate the thief and retrieve the merchandise. Anything less results in destitution. This endeavor brings the contrasting outlooks into focus. When they locate the person responsible, Luis wants to punish him verbally and physically while Carlos orders him to refrain and focuses instead on the truck's retrieval. What's interesting is how the opposite approaches are both born from the womb of self-respect. The perceptions may be different, but the needs are one in the same.
Demian Bichir is probably best known to U.S. audiences for his role as the corrupt politician/drug lord on Showtime's "Weeds." Here he earns our sympathy from the start as a man who gauges his self-worth by the degree of respect he affords others, even as his son demands he stop being so trusting. As Luis, Jose Julian strikes a strong balance between defending his adolescent pride and being cognizant enough to learn from his father. At one point, he asks "why did you and mom have me?" This question devastates Carlos, yet it's not asked in a petulant or self-pitying way. He adds: "Poor people have children all the time. What's the point?" The inquiry actually demonstrates his perceptiveness. He's not self-loathing; he simply struggles to comprehend his parents' decision.
Given the immigration angle, I don't know how much political debate the film will ignite, though socio-political polemic doesn't seem to be the filmmakers' primary goal. The immigration reform debate will continue regardless. Here, director Chris Weitz ("About a Boy") has made a thoughtful, deliberately-paced movie that builds to a climax of palpable strength. (The film only steps wrong once, offering an unnecessary "four months later" epilogue that doesn't impart anything we couldn't surmise on our own. The real ending was one scene earlier.)
Still, the movie leaves a mark. Its greatest strength is its understanding of human values. The father's finest hour comes not in the love he extends or the life he provides, but in a quiet moment where he sits before a wide-eyed son he may never see again, and conveys in the most emotionally unguarded way exactly why he and and his wife had him.
* * * 1/2 out of * * * * stars
