Paraiso Travel

I enjoyed watching Paraiso Travel. The plot line is fairly simple, about the hardships gone through by a Colombian emigrant (Marlon) trying to settle into a gritty-looking New York. Several (clever and quite gripping) flashbacks bring Marlon back to the journey from Medellin to the USA. Though it is simple, it is nonetheless shot with much enthusiasm and with an unbiased approach to the plight of emigrants trying to make it from scratch.

Yes, it is on the whole quite catchy, without too many off-topic errances which frequently marr such films. The film delivers on its depiction of hard-by emigrant families, never allowing itself to wallow into pessimism despite the hero's predicaments, I believe its message is essentially one of hope.

A last note: the ending was in fact very good, a good point for this movie which is worth catching.

First of all, I'm not a movie critic. In fact, this is my first comment on a movie, EVER. So then, why do I dare giving my opinion about this film? Well, first of all, I can say that I admire the boldness in which some movies are made and/or written by Colombians (?) in later years, that includes soap operas that break the common poor girl rich guy schema of traditional Latin American series. As an example, 'Cafe con Aroma de Mujer', the only soap I actually watched (and I am NOT a soap opera fan) in which actress Margarita de Francisco played a great role. I have no less than praise for her in this movie. Ana de La Guerra was also great. Now, but the reason why I write my comments is because I see this movie as yet another eye opener for so many latinos that are looking forward to that 'Paraiso' and give anything (literally) in order to reach the land of opportunities. Even though the movie is far from being a documentary which is not intended to be anyways, and even though I was fortunate enough to migrate to North America legally so I don't really know what happens when you venture north this way, to me, the movie portrays the true crude reality that people face when they decide to come illegally, which is far from being a joy ride. Anyhow, but because I'm not here to judge anyone, I'd just like to mention that this movie as bold as it is to me, it's a good project that I see as the reality of not only the hardship most latinos face when traveling in such conditions but also a lost of the innocence when polluted by the differences in cultures they find once in the new land. Now this guy Marlon was lucky enough to find a heartwarming paisana, wife of whom initially completely rejected any help. But that's actually another story. But also the movie shows that this was the land that turned sassy, sexy, witty Reina into someone totally unexpected for him. That could've happened anywhere in the world though, even in their home Medellin. He was indeed, bait of her hidden ambition. Well, Have I said too much already? Maybe. Enjoy it!

It was surprising, at least after all the media attention in Latin circles it received, to come out of this movie as if I had just lost 2 hours of my time. If anything after having seen Mexican and Colombian cinema and being familiarized with the themes they depict, "Paraiso" doesn't seem to know where it wants to go and what subjects it really wants us to familiarize ourselves with. The theme of illegal immigration, a hot topic these days, has received plenty of attention from many media outlets, even film. Pick any Mexican or Colombian film from the last decade and the idea of an "Better American hope of life", is soon to be found, however, "Paraiso" fails at showing us what really motivates these characters or what lies behind their intentions. Possibly, poor acting has something to do with that, hiring non-actors from some of these roles was a huge mistake by Mr. Brand, who could learn plenty from his Mexican and Spanish counterparts, he lacks the experience to be able to take a mediocre script and really bring a believable and manageable story within the confines of the Spanish language. Hopefully Latin-American cinema has a little more to offer than this.

Yes, one of the leading women turns out to be manipulative and appalling, but the woman at the restaurant and the woman who runs the stand next door are almost saintly, and even the woman who turns to topless dancing turns out to have a considerable heart.

This is not remotely a portrait of all Latin women or men. It is a story about one fairly naive guy who undergoes a series of adventures in a land where he can't speak the language and emerges with new knowledge.

Some of it is funny, some of it is heartbreaking. If I have any criticism -- and it's not much of one -- it's that the end titles are way more sophisticated stylistically than the movie they follow, and so they don't quite match. Big criticism, yes? Other than that, it's fascinating to see a film a lot of which takes place in a New York that seems to be a parallel and largely unseen world to the one Anglos like me live in. The idea that New York contains entire cultures that co-exist without much contact is intriguing.

PARAISO TRAVEL is an intense little film that joins the ranks of the other multiple films dealing with immigration, this one as seen from the eyes of those immigrating to the US. It is a hard driving film with many messages about not only immigration but the rarely discussed aspects of the torturous route to get to this country AND the resultant disappointment/disenchantment with the America of the north - the supposed land of dreams. Written by Jorge Franco Ramos and Juan Rendón and directed by Simon Brand, the film was made with a cast of relatively unknown actors (with the notable exception of John Leguizamo) and one wonders had the actors been more experienced would the film have been stronger.

The story relates the problems of two young people Reina (Angelica Blandon) and Marlon (Aldemar Correa) who 'escape' from Medillin, Colombia to make their way as immigrants passing through Guatemala, Mexico and Texas on their way to New York in search of the American Dream. The film is shot in flashback fashion: we are lead to believe that the two 'lovers' focus so strongly on their dream that they lose themselves in that pursuit. What this film does in very strong fashion is show the grueling, harsh, despicable events that occur to immigrants in the South American countries on their way 'north' - some of the events are difficult to watch. But even more strange is the response of the immigrants who do succeed in making it into the USA - without knowledge of the English language or the American labor situation and atrocious living conditions imposed on illegal immigrants. Marlon in particular seems to view the plight of the illegals (street workers, flop houses, menial jobs) with disgust, choosing to focus instead on his fruitless plight to regain his lost Reina separated from him after a misunderstanding in New York. To say more would spoil the ending. Suffice it to say that the film show the ugly side of immigration and the consequences that too often replace the dreams of those who make the dangerous trip to this land of possibility. It is another side of the coin we should all know.

Grady Harp