Genres

Visitors Review

gradyharp 2012-05-24 22:59:27

Examining Lives - A Father and Son Love Story

A BETTER LIFE is one of the more understated films to come out ofHollywood, a film that has the courage to tell a story that is sopolitically charged - the immigration debate - that releasing it now ison the one hand asking for negative responses and on the other handoffers to the public the real truths behind our quandary aboutimmigration. This country consists of immigrants - all of us - nomatter how far back we have to trace our ancestry: the only people whodid not begin their family history as immigrants from every country inthe world and the Native Americans, and look how we are treating them!If this film does nothing else than plead the case of humanunderstanding it will have accomplished more than legions of films thattouch this subject too lightly.Carlos Galindo (Demián Bichir, in an extraordinarily fine performance)crossed the border into the US with his new wife, looking for a way toimprove his life. Upon arriving his wife gave birth to their son Luis(José Julián) and then promptly left Carlos in search of a better life,leaving Carlos to raise Luis alone. Carlos is an honest, caring man whomust live in the shadow of being illegal: he cannot have a driver'slicense or papers that allow him the benefits of other people. Carloshas a steady job as a gardener with Blasco (Joaquín Cosio) who owns atruck and the two men work hard as gardeners. When the film opens Carlos is saving is money from working with Blasco,living in a tiny house in the smarmy side of Los Angeles, trying toprovide better schooling for his 15 year old Luis. Luis is of the agewhen he is easily influenced by his peers: his best friend is Ramon(Gabriel Chavarria) who is waiting to be of age to join the gang andforget about school in lieu of making money and living high. Luis istempted to follow him, but he still attends school despite frequentabsences and disinterest in education. Carlos is faced with a dilemma:Blasco wants to leave the business of gardening and suggests Carlos buyhis truck and tools and start his own business. While Carlos sees thefuture in owning his own business (he can provide hope for a betterlife for Luis) he doesn't have enough money saved to buy the truck. Hissister, indebted to Carlos for his protection and help, brings him hersavings and Carlos buys the truck. Luis is surprised and then proud ofhis father's courage, but the happiness is short lived as one of theday laborers Carlos befriended - Santiago (Carlos Linares) - steals thetruck, sells it on the black market and sends the money to his familyin Mexico. It is this moment that provides an important turn for therelationship between Carlos and Luis. Luis bonds with his father andtogether they manage to locate the truck and take it back, only to becaught by the police for driving without a windshield. Carlos isjailed, Luis is devastated, but as Carlos is deported Luis pleads withhim to 'come back home'. The film's ending tests the credibility a bitbut it is heartwarming nevertheless.The story as written by Eric Eason and Roger L. Simon is genuinely realand never veers toward the maudlin. They have created characters whonot only demonstrate the importance of father son understanding andrelationships, but they have approached the entire gamut of immigrantchallenges and the manner in which this country deals with currentimmigrants in an honest manner. Without waving banners for or againstimmigration problems director Chris Weitz offers us the opportunity tosee life from a different angle. One of the reasons this movie is sopowerful in its impact and message is due to the brilliant performanceby Demián Bichir, hopefully a candidate for an Oscar, and hisperformance is beautifully balanced by that of José Julián as his son.The film is scored by Alexandre Desplat and the music greatly enhancesthe rhythms of the story. There is such worth in this film that itwould be wise for everyone in this country to view it - and rememberour individual heritages and histories. Grady Harp

851222 2012-05-24 11:03:37

Inspiring and touching movie

Greetings from Lithuania."Better Life" was a really good movie. It reminded my another goodmovie about similar life "The Visitor". This is a really inspiring andtouching movie about single fathers "journey" to make a better life forhis son (or as they say, to find American dream). The way is hard, andsure not everyone can go through it. It's really rare in these days tosee such a simple story on a big screen, not overdone in specialeffects and stuff like that.If you like simple and quiet but powerful stories, "Better Life" is onenot to be missed.

aharmas 2012-05-23 16:11:43

An Important Drama

Carlos is a good man. He is raising his 14 year-old son, doing the besthe can, trying to make sure he never gets seduced by a gang ofsociety's worst. Things couldn't be stacked worse against him becausehe lacks legal documentation to work in the United States, and his sonholds a grudge against him for not being around to nurture him, andthere is a back story about his ex-wife.The plot is simple, as it gives you a deciding week in the life ofCarlos, who reaches a fork in his life and must make a choice in orderto improve his family's life. Most likely because of his trustingnature, things get even worse, as father and son soon become involvedin a quest to recover some lost property.Some people have argued that Weitz hasn't been able to connect with hismaterial, but I completely disagree as Weitz and his team have doneinsightful and accurate research about Carlos' world. He has carefullyput together a film that tries to explain some subtleties about thevarious differences among the various Latinos subgroups. The viewer hasan opportunity to explore the lives of legal and undocumentedimmigrants from various countries. It explores how choices are made andsome people stick to their roots and continue their traditions here,but those might not all be common for all the groups involved. Thereare telling lines in the conversations between father and son, and onetries to sever the ties to the past, while the other reminisces.There are amazing scenes in this film. Some deal with the relationshipsbetween Anglos and the undocumented workers. Others have the variousLatino groups interact with each other, and at times they feeluncomfortable because they are raw and honest. Most importantly, thework of Demian Bichir's truly remarkable performance, a bilingual turnfrom an actor not afraid to reach deep inside his own experiences toshow a range of emotions many award winning performers can only dreamof. The scene at the detention center will move every member in theaudience, as he must bare his soul in a matter of minutes for anopportunity to connect with his own child.Bichir, hopefully will be rewarded later in the year for a job fewcould have pulled off. The film is not apparently very complex. Manymight dismiss it as a cheap soap opera attempt to pull emotionalstrings. Every feeling we experience is the result of daringexplorations into groups that might not even be minority groups in theUnited States. They are part of the fabric that makes up contemporaryAmerica, and many might choose to ignore them. That would frankly be amistake because they have their own interconnected dramas, andeventually those will reach and affect everyone else. "A Better Life"is part of a universal dream / nightmare, something that touches theuniversal quest for acceptance in all of us.***** (five stars)

rainbow23 2012-05-23 12:41:34

Loved it!

I am not a critic just a lover of movies. This movie almost lost me.Then I kept watching. I usually get bored in the first 10 min. This 1 ikept watching because i knew there was something better to come. I keptwatching and fell in love with the father character. Throughout themovie, he is better than you can ever be. Looking out for his onlychild. His character makes you want to cry. All he does is good and itdoesn't work out exactly ass he had planned. This movie is a 10/10. Iloved it. Thia is a very very good movie. Sry pple it says i need morelines. If u like this maybe you will like crazy/beautiful. I must saytho this is way better. If you can not speak Spanish. It may be hard.Just dl the copy with subs. Once again great movie. The father is hot.but i have a thing for older men. lol.

t-smits-chavez 2012-05-22 03:29:22

terrific movie

I am intimately aware of the struggles of Latino undocumentedimmigrants in this country and this movie captured that struggle sowell, albeit very specific to the region they live in. It shows UScitizens who may not understand the significance of what these peoplegive up in order to attempt to provide for their families. Yes, to givethem a better life whether here or by sending money home to theirnative countries.I watched the movie twice, and cried both times, even knowing thattheir was no way the movie would end happily. But it did end with aglimmer of hope for the future for both father and son and that neitherwill give up...

David Ferguson 2012-05-21 18:47:41

The Invisible Man

Greetings again from the darkness. Surprisingly, this movie doesn'tchoose sides in the political hot potato that is immigration reform.Instead, it plays as an intimate story of hope and desperation centeredaround the daily life of a father and son.The father is Carlos (played by veteran actor Demian Bichir), anundocumented worker in Los Angeles who scrapes by working as a gardenerand landscaper for another illegal immigrant. Carlos is raising a 15year old son who was born in the U.S. They are alone because the motherbolted after discovering the high life available in this great country.Carlos, on the other hand, believes in work ethic and the bond of ahandshake. His son Luis (Jose Julian) is fighting the daily battle ofthe streets - whether to join a gang for respect. Luis shows littleoutward respect for his hard-working father, who comes home sweaty andexhausted every day of the week.When Carlos' boss approaches him about buying his truck and tools,Carlos first balks because he simply has no money, and he is intent onremaining "invisible". In his case, a simple traffic stop would meandeportation and the loss of his son. After a night of pondering, heborrows the money from his sister and buys the truck. Carlos tells hisson that things will soon be better - better house, better school, etc.Luis is dubious and offers little support.The story takes a turn when the truck is stolen by a day worker whomCarlos was trying to help. If you have ever seen Vittorio de Sica's"The Bicycle Thief", you will recognize some similarities. Father andson grow closer as they hunt for the thief. Luis sees his father'sthoughtful actions and has trouble processing his calculated methods.The youngster is more about lashing out to show power. It's the onlymethod he has seen at his school. Father knows best comes into playhere.The film is interesting enough and the scenes with both father and sonare exceptional. As a whole, the film seems a bit empty as we reallyonly get glimpses of the desperation and confusion that these two faceevery day - in completely different ways. It's directed by Chris Weitz,who has an unusual resume which includes both "Twilight: New Moon" and"About a Boy". His newest film really just reiterates what we alreadyknow about illegal immigrants. Some are here to milk the system, whileothers are here for 'a better life'.

tianafeghali 2012-05-20 02:32:58

Weitz has captured and affected the lives of many!

This movie was entertaining and a real eye opener! Everyone has a storyand people need to get over stereotypes and common perceptions. ABetter Life really reminded me of the neo realist film from Vittorio DeSica, Bicycle Thieves, but more in the present day. Many parts of thestory really allowed me to understand that most parents just want thebest for their family no matter what and although sometimes kids don'tseem to see that it's true. It means so much more that Chris Weitz ismore focused on the character plot lines rather than politicalpropaganda. I like how Chris allows all the characters to be equal evenif they are in a gang, gardeners, or even Santiago who steals thetruck. He allowed the viewers to go inside the home of gang members andsee them in their natural habitat; they are not all scary. When Luisand Carlos find Santiago and see that he sent the money for the truckaway they are angry but you can tell that Carlos understands. Heunderstands because he would do the same thing for his child andfamily. Luis is Americanized and is a different generation than hisfather but their forming bond is a central component in this story thatis really heart warming. The two scenes that really made my heart dropwas when Luis was in his abandoned home and looked out to the birdfeeder who was pecking at no food, just like Luis in his home, which isnow empty. The second was the conversation between Luis and Carlos inthe jail. It is just so powerful and real, I felt compassion andhardship while watching it. I really do hope that Carlos made it backto Luis…I wish the story wouldn't end with that big cliffhanger! It'smaking me go nutts!! Chris Weitz has really captured an important issuewith country this day and I really am glad I got to see the other sidefor once! Definitely would recommend this is a great film.

dreamalladream 2012-05-19 08:43:36

We appreciate through the eyes of a gardener.

I was lucky enough to see this film as a campus screening with Q&A fromthe director. One of the scenes mentioned was when Carlos climbs thepalm tree and pauses to look out over the bay. The director Chris Weitzreferred to this shot as beautiful eye candy. I couldn't put my fingeron it at that moment but that shot seemed so much more to me. Afterthinking about it for a while I decided that one shot pretty muchsummed up Carlo's feelings and how he views America. You see, beingborn in this country we sometimes take it for granted. We are to busygoing about our lives to notice little things. In that one moment, weslow down and appreciate through the eyes of a simple gardener.

lourensini 2012-05-19 01:33:13

I didn't wanted it to end...

What would we do for a better life? How much would we suffer to give itto people we love? How many times would we get up after the fall? Forpeople like me, who never had to crack my ass off working to pay bills,never needed to take care of anyone, I can only see myself in JoséJulián character, Luis. Because my mother and father has to, and stillhave to hold things on to provide to me what tey didn't have when theywere young. And for this, I see them on Demián Bichir character, CarlosGalino, which he does AMAZING, by the way.Better life get an unknown actor and put him to perform on of the bestcharacters i've ever seen. Carlos Galindo ain't just a character, he isreal, he does exist, by different names from different countries andnations.Not every actor in this movie is as great as Demián Bichir, but theystill leave they're marks, like Gabriel Chavarria as Ramón.The writing is amazing, the Mexican gangsta accents were prettyinteresting for me to hear, since the difficulty any person who speaksEnglish would have to understand them. But coming back to the written,it is clear and clearly represents an simple 4 old boy and his hardworker father. All other characters also were well represented and theypersonality exposed.What was the BEST about this movie was it's soundtrack. It's juststunning! and you don't have to pay much attention to note it. To bad Icouldn't find anywhere to download it. Because it worth it to hearagain, as the original as the other tracks. It's brilliantly placedwhen needed. Can't, and don need to talk much about, because this movieis a Must See, so you'll face this amazing soundtrack just like I did.The photography is clear and also creates a drama atmosphere. Dramawhich could not always get me by surprise, thanks to those closes onobjects, denouncing whats gonna happen in the following moments. Buteven thou it could take me by surprise giving to those characters oneproblem after another to take care.Another issue was when it finished. I just though "already?". This kindof movie really deserves a little bit more of time to develop.ACtually, it had has it's develop. But I wanted to see more.Since not everyone has much idea about how much crapp an illegalimmigrant has to go through. And the humanity, humility and strenghCarlos Galino shows it's just jealously. We should watch at this movieas an anthropology class, not just a drama movie, there's thousands ofdramas about love we can see if the idea is just felling sick a littlebit.A Better Life it a must see. Seet it.

TxMike 2012-05-18 06:04:54

A guide to survival for illegal Mexicans in Los Angeles.

This story is set in Los Angeles among the neighborhoods that harborboth honest, hard-working people, gangs, and non-documented aliens,particularly from Mexico. I never had the feeling that it waspreaching, judging, or taking sides. Instead it tells the story as arealistic portrait of the life of illegal immigrants in that area.Carlos is a 40-something man from Mexico, without papers or driverslicense. He is in the USA illegally. We eventually learn a little ofhis back story, he and his girlfriend crossed the border, had a child,a boy, and she soon left, probably because the excitement had worn off.He now lives in a small place, and barely makes ends meet.The son, Luis, is 14 and growing up in the USA speaks excellent Englishbut very little Spanish. Luis' commitment to school is low, when hegets in trouble and is expelled for a short time he doesn't seem tomind. He even considers if it might be time to join a gang. A brightboy with no direction and little respect for his Mexican father.Carlos works at odd jobs, like yard work and tree trimming. The fellowhe has been working for wants to sell Carlos his truck, and let Carlostake over the regular customers. Carlos is hesitant, but eventuallydoes it, with the help of money his sister loans him.The movie's title "A Better Life" is mostly a reference to what Carloswants for his son. Carlos knows he will never get beyond a laborer, andhoping not to get caught and deported. But he wants his son to have abetter life, that is really all he cares about.(When he bought the truck I said to my wife, "There is no way he canexpect to never be stopped by police.") Anyway a pretty good movie,very well acted, directed, and filmed. Gives us a glimpse into the lifeof illegal residents trying to stay out of trouble and make somethinggood for their families. It is a tough situation.SPOILERS: After Carlos buys the truck, he goes to the spot whereillegals congregate for day jobs. (We have those here in Houston also!)He selects a man who appears to need the work, but when Carlos is nearthe top of the palm tree to do a trim, the man steals the truck. Carlostracks him down, rather quickly, but the man had already sold the truckfor $3000 and sent the $$Money to family back in Mexico. Carloseventually gets the truck back, stealing it from a chop shop, but isstopped by the cops, and in a few days deported. His son is cared forby his sister who is a legal resident. Flash to 4 months later, Carlosis with a small band of others, about to cross the border and go backto Los Angeles. The cycle of life for illegal residents.

StephenBradleyJones 2012-05-18 07:25:29

Good film, I like the characters and the ending stays true to the film's logic

This film really highlights a father's love for his son. I appreciatethat it is shot on location in the L.A. area. The father is anundocumented gardener fighting to keep together his small familyconsisting of himself and his son. His son is courting the idea ofjoining a gang, which propels the father to buy a truck with moneyborrowed from his sister. He does this knowing the risk of being pulledover for any reason and thus being deported. A Salvadorian man he triesto help train to help run his newly acquired business steals his truckin order to send money home. This galvanizes his son to join him in aquest to reclaim the stolen truck. They trek all over town untillocating it in a chop shop. They successfully steal the truck, but arelater pulled over. If you want to know the end, you should just watchit because I've already given away too many plot points. Good show!

Turfseer 2012-05-17 12:53:58

Slow-moving exposition gives way to gripping second act machinations, in this heart-felt immigrant saga

Director Chris Weitz, known for his work on the last installment of the'Twilight' series, here has decided to tackle a more conventionalimmigration drama. At first glance, 'A Better World' has all thetrappings of your typical saga about an undocumented, illegal alien,who struggles to survive economically, while raising a rebellious,teenage son. Thanks to Mexican actor, Demian Bichir (known for his roleas Fidel Castro in Soderburgh's 'Che') and an exciting second acttwist, 'A Better World' manages to rise above convention, leading us tothe rarefied world of compelling drama.'A Better World' opens slowly as we meet Bichir as Carlos Galindo, theundocumented worker living in a rundown house in Los Angeles, whoseson, Luis, has been flirting with gang members at school. Carlos canhardly keep track of Luis, as he's busy slaving away as an assistantlandscaper for his boss, who keeps trying to sell him the truck he usesfor day to day business. Carlos can be his 'own man' if he purchasesthe truck but hesitates, as he realizes that he has no driver's licenseand can be stopped at any time by the police. When his sister convinceshim to accept $12,000 which she originally stored away for herchildren's education, Carlos purchases the truck, and is ready to starta new career as self-employed entrepreneur. He soon finds an assistantto help him in the business, which leads to disastrous consequences.WARNING—BIG SPOILERS AHEAD! The film suddenly becomes gripping whenCarlos' truck is stolen by the assistant and he must go on a journey torecover it. Luis, initially alienated, now joins his father in thesearch for the truck, and finds himself bonding with the 'old man'.Along the way, Carlos tries to check his son's impulsiveness, bypreventing him from administrating a more punishing beating to theassistant, after they discover where he is, and recover the car.Just as things look like they've gotten much better, the truck ispulled over by the cops and Carlos is arrested by the immigrationauthorities. Luis initially couldn't understand why Carlos didn'tattempt to flee from the police while they were together in the truck,but later accepts the fact that his father consistently feels he mustlive by a set of high, moral principles.The setup for Carlos' tender farewell to his son while incarcerated inthe Federal lockup, doesn't ring true, as the authorities in realityprobably wouldn't have extended the courtesy to the son, to have a lastminute tête-à-tête. Nonetheless, the words of farewell are quiteemotional and heartfelt, as the father exhorts the son to live a morallife, unencumbered by avarice and the need to associate withundesirable companions. And Carlos fulfills his promise to Luis toreturn to the U.S., this time choosing devotion to his family overobeying the law. At film's end, Carlos is seen bravely, but illegallyattempting to enter the United States once again.Birchir is excellent as the frustrated father, who manages to containhis anger, despite all the hard knocks he sustains, along the way. Ididn't always understand everything José Julián as Luis was saying whenhe interacts with the gang members, but the young actor is at his bestwhen he communicates the new found respect for his father, afterjoining him in the quest to find the truck. Most impressive is DoloresHeredia as Carlos' sister, Anita, who exudes boundless integrity in theshort scenes she performs in.'A Better Life' proves that there are illegal immigrants who are goodpeople and are deserving of some kind of amnesty program. Hard coreright-wingers may disagree but there should be some kind of policy thatsorts out the good from the bad. Not everyone works to perfection in 'ABetter Life', particularly the slow-moving exposition of the first Act,but as the story picks up, particularly in the second act, we soon cometo realize that 'A Better Life', is deserving of the moniker ofcompelling drama.

Boba_Fett1138 2012-05-17 01:57:45

Putting a human face on illegal immigrants.

Of course it's definitely true that illegal immigrants from Mexicodon't have the best reputation in America, to say the very least. It'sa big problem but of course there always is a very human side to theirstories and not everything is always as black and white as some peoplewould suggest. This movie gives illegal Mexican immigrants a humanface, by telling a very human, subtle, little drama.The movie had all of the ingredients in it to become a formulaic andpredictable drama. It also didn't had a big budget behind it, or anybig names involved, so this movie very easily could had become a veryforgettable and unremarkable one. Yet the movie manages to become waymore than that, by cleverly avoiding most of the clichés you wouldexpect in a movie like this and by not going for any cheap sentiments.The movie actually manages to surprise you by the direction it istaking at times. At certain moments it is suggesting to you it is goingto head into a certain direction but then it's doing something totallydifferent and unexpected. Plot lines are often being dropped forsomething totally new and different and in this case that is anapproach that actually works out well for this movie and its overallrealism and drama.What I also really liked about the approach was that it was constantlyfollowing a father and his 14-year old son. And no matter how bad theyseem to have it, they come across people who are off far worse thanthey are. It puts things totally in a different perspective and lightat times, which works out originally for its story as well.Yet I still don't rate this movie THAT highly and I also can't say thisis an absolute must-see. It obviously is a very recommendable movie butstill at the same time it also is being too little and simplistic withits resources to make a true lasting impression or a big impact. It's amovie that will stay on your mind for a while but not one you willstill think about much or highly, a couple of months, or so, later.This is not really being any criticism toward the movie itself though,since it does, what it does, oh so well.So yes, it definitely is a movie worth checking out because of itssubject and the way it's handling it.7/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

jinglemingle1 2012-05-16 14:46:06

Film 7 - User Comment for "A Better Life"

I very much liked "A Better Life". Myself being an immigrant who grewup in the United States and raised by a single immigrant mother borewitness of the difficulties that the characters of Carlos Galindo andhis son Luis Galindo had to bear as a part of their immigrantexperience while trying to create a better future for themselves. "ABetter Life" is a touching portrayal of a hard-working gardener fatherwho despite living in a poor neighborhood never deviates from the realreason he decided to come to the United States – to live a better lifethan what he felt would be awaiting himself and his son in Mexico. "ABetter Life" shows how when a parent raises their child with care andlove, the child will usually not stray off into a life of crime andviolence but will act on his own better judgment in life and willreturn that care and love to his/her parents because that is also whatthe child has been raised with – love and care. 'A Better Life" showedhow far a parent will go to create the best possible situation forhis/her child, even if it means sleeping on the couch to allow thechild to be more comfortable on the bed – as Carlos did for his sonLuis.

jimmytimmy1 2012-05-15 23:02:19

Film 7 - User Comment for "A Better Life"

I very much liked "A Better Life". Myself being an immigrant who grewup in the United States and raised by a single immigrant mother borewitness of the difficulties that the characters of Carlos Galindo andhis son Luis Galindo had to bear as a part of their immigrantexperience while trying to create a better future for themselves. "ABetter Life" is a touching portrayal of a hard-working gardener fatherwho despite living in a poor neighborhood never deviates from the realreason he decided to come to the States – to live a better life thanwhat he felt would be awaiting himself and his son in Mexico. "A BetterLife" shows how when a parent raises their child with care and love,the child will usually not stray off into a life of crime and violencebut will act on his own better judgment in life and will return thatcare and love to his/her parents because that is also what the childhas been raised with – love and care. 'A Better Life" showed how far aparent will go to create the best possible situation for his/her child,even if it means sleeping on the couch to allow the child to be morecomfortable on the bed – as Carlos did for his son Luis.

sakasegawa 2012-05-15 12:22:58

true heartbreaker

I've seen a lot of movies in my time but this has to top the charts asone of my most heartfelt movies. "A Better Life" directed by ChrisWeitz follows Carlos Galindo a single father trying to provide for hisyouthful son Luis who is slowly breaking away from family values andquickly becoming a little gangster but as the movie progresses Luissee's past the gang and sides with his father. Once Luis decides thatfamily is most important however his father is quickly torn from himwhen he is caught by authorities and deported which was hard to watchknowing that Luis finally broke his shell and became close to hisfather. This movie truly struck a cord in my heart and although I cantempathize with Luis I can definitely sympathize and feel for him.

thomas_canny 2012-05-14 15:27:30

Absolute slice of life

This movie really zooms in and looks into the humanity of the lives ofillegal immigrants in the US. The thing most Americans don't realize isthat immigrants, legal or not, are real people, who are doing the bestthey know how. I know that this movie captures this and displays it ina beautiful, moving way. I know that I really appreciate the realitythat this movie brings to light, which most people do not even care tosee. Also, If you are attempting to learn Spanish, and have reached somelevel of proficiency, this movie is a great way to test yourself.Enough of the movie is in English that you won't miss much withoutspeaking much Spanish, and the Spanish is very plain and understandablefor those who are learning.

Robert W. 2012-05-14 07:49:26

Lovely and heart wrenching story, a worthy drama

I went into this film blindly having no idea what it was about. It wasa really touching and riveting film about a father's love for hisson...its that simple. Some will say it supporting illegal immigrationand doesn't deal with that issue but simply put who cares! This isabout love and family and survival in the often cruel world. It is darkand no holds barred and doesn't pretend to be sunny and happy, in factsome might say the title is ironic but it really will leave you with asoft warm feeling when its all done and said.Demián Bichir is truly excellent as the struggling father. He carriesthis film flawlessly and is truly the heart and soul of A Better Life.Not to be outdone his son is played by José Julián and he is alsoreally good. He plays the teenager struggling in the streets to staygood and deal with feelings of poverty and his upbringing and hisfather but all is done in a way where you don't resent him even whenhe's perhaps ungrateful the way many of us are or were as teenagers.Director Chris Weitz has had an odd mix of past experience from aTwilight film (New Moon) to About A Boy, but he clearly wants to tell apowerful story. I do think that Weitz maybe doesn't have quite thetalent to really knock this one out of the park the way a director whoreally knows his way around a drama might have but its still anexcellent film that won't disappoint you. The morals are clear, thedirection is good, the performances are solid, all around entertainingand endearing. 8/10

planktonrules 2012-05-13 19:46:49

Compelling no matter what your feelings are about illegal aliens.

This film is a reworking of the plot from Vittorio De Sica's classicfilm, "The Bicycle Thief"--though not in its entirety. It's more likethe bicycle thief AND a film about a family of illegal immigrantscombined. It's a nice combination, actually, as it gives wonderfulinsight into their plight and humanizes them--though it is certainly atopic that has HUGELY divergent opinions. Well, I think that mostfolks, regardless of their feelings about these folks, will enjoy thefilm, as it's very well made and tugs at your heart.The film begins with Carlos (Demián Bichir) working his butt off doinggardening work in affluent neighborhoods around Los Angeles. He worksjust about every day and is nearly killing himself trying to providefor himself and his teenage son, Luis (José Julián). There are two mainplots in the first portion of the film--Carlos wants to buy his owntruck and start his own business (a very risky thing--especially ashe's in the country illegally) and Luis is drifting towards becoming ayoung punk. However, both of their lives are interrupted by atragedy--and in comes the De Sica plot. Where it all leads is very sadand touching, though in an interesting twist, the boy seems to beheaded in a better direction in his life as the film ends. I know I amvery vague--but I really don't want to say more and spoil it.I noticed that Bichir received an Oscar nomination for his performanceand that is why I rented the film. He was quite good, though his rolewas an odd one for an Oscar, as he's rather quiet throughout the film.It's not the sort of role you'd associate with the award normally, butI assume this is the Academy's way of injecting their opinions into thewhole illegal alien debate. I have not yet seen all the films withnominated Best Actors but I would assume Jean Dujardin is a lock on theaward. He was truly excellent and all the momentum seems to be goinghis way at the moment. Still, "A Better Life" is a very goodfilm--nearly as good as Dujardin's and deserves a wider audience--aswell as more public discussion about what to do about illegals, asthere really aren't any clear answers coming from either side of thedebate.

Hellboyn 2012-05-13 17:57:01

a good movie with great depth......

If you like those life like films this is a definite watch...it showsinto depth of relationship between a father and son.It shows that ahuman beings life to extent depend on his place of birth and his livingenvironment on which he has no choice....Every father wants his childto have a better life.This film portrays the story of an illegalimmigrant who lives for his son.Even though the father is trying toearn money through his hard work,the son feels neglected and fails torecognize the care and love the father has for him till the end.Thisfilm highlights that even people like these are HUMAN BEINGS and wantto have a normal life but fate has a lot in play for suchunderprivileged...Demián Bichir at his best especially at a part whenhe talks to his son about his life...All credit goes to Chris Weitz whois trying to show us the greater picture here,we are HUMANS first andthen comes the rest....