Padre Nuestro

This movie really really amazed me and also kind of renewed my faith in Mexican cinema, although it is set in New York. As mentioned on this page, I definitely saw it as a counterpoint to Under the Same Moon, and it even features one of the same actors. It shows the side of (illegal) immigration that turns respectful, principled people into criminals and liars (and vice versa I would say). In his book "Las peliculas de mi vida" Alberto Fuguet quotes an el salvadorian cab driver as saying that everyone in El Salvador is a criminal but once they reach the USA they are all about helping each other. This movie, of course, attests to the contrary. It forces viewers to question their views about the plight of illegal immigrants, obviously, but also raises questions about the idea of entitlement and family. I can't recommend it enough, not only to fans of Latin American cinema, but to any North American who wants to see how bad the illegal immigrant experience can be.

Also excellent performances by the whole cast, but for me Armando Hernandez stole the show. I had only seen him previously in "Amar te duele," so obviously this was a pleasant surprise for me, but he oscillates between mildly menacing and downright sinister and despicable in a performance that affected me more than anything I've seen in a while. I'm sure he'll be getting some roles worthy of him based on this performance. Honorable mention as well to Juan Diego and Paola Mendoza, they were great.

For me, this is the kind of movie that I want to show to everyone I know, just because it is the kind of movie that made me question many ideas held by Mexicans and North Americans about the American dream. I think that although it is a much darker picture of Mexican entrance into America, it does coincide with Under the Same Moon in that very strong ties, and sometimes even familial ties, are formed based on shared language and/or experience. Watch this movie!

I saw this film at Sundance -- and was blown away -- it is a fascinating film and extremely well done. There are a lot of different ways to look at the immigration issue, but I think that Chris Zalla chose a unique path. However, what was so beautiful about this film is that it is not an immigration movie -- that is what I loved. It was a human story. A family story. Painful, but uplifting all at the same time. I was riveted by the actors, especially Paola Mendoza, who I think is incredibly talented. I hope that films like this can open up a dialogue about the immigration issue in this country, as I think that it is time for us, as a nation, deal with this problem. I look forward to seeing the film again.

This may not be a great film, but it is a very good one. It's about two young men from Mexico who enter the US illegally and wind up in New York. It is in the convention of film noir, that is the characters, under the pressure of hard times their own weaknesses and their need to survive, are doomed from the start. Other reviews here have suggested that the plot is too contrived and unbelievable, but this is a feature of film noir, fate intervenes to frustrate the good impulses of the characters and accentuates the bad. I found the drama compelling and the characters believable. There is no moral here, no uplifting commentary; fate has them in its clutches and as in Greek drama the characters appear to have free will but are really caught up in the inevitable downward spiral.

I will not give away any of the plot twists but this film kept me guessing. Nothing was predictable or commonplace. There was no overt message about the plight of immigrants except the movie conveys a powerful impression of what it must feel like to be an illegal immigrant in a big city without money, friends or support. But the movie isn't a political tract, it is a gripping drama meant to entertain, not instruct. It is very like a lot of the 'B' movies of the 40s and 50s, products of entertainment which become art in themselves. On the other hand it reminded me a lot of "The Bicycle Thief" by Vittorio de Sica.

The acting is unbelievable, almost as unbelievable as the plot. The movie advances its plot on coincidences and is not what I expected.

The director seemed to look for a convoluted plot to appear smart and gritty, but at the same time, one of the characters is so extremely naive. The message given at the end of the movie is that being cunning outweighs good intention, yet I wonder how did the good character was able to advance so far in a city such as New York.

Overall the plot ends taking everything down that the acting brings forward. Jesus Ochoa is a step above all the actors in this movie, and did as good as possible as his character let him do.

I went to see this movie, with a view to getting a grip on the behind-the-scenes real-life struggles in the realm of the rampant illegal immigration. To sum it up, I left the big-screen room, with an embedded emblem in my mind which had inscribed on it "poverty,hunger, and desperation can trigger the barbaric side of us".

Some brilliant acting from the four principal characters: Diego, Juan, Pedro, and Magda. In fact, it was their virtuoso contribution that gave the flick its unfolding narrative, which nicely touches upon the dogfight arena that we rarely get to hear about even today. A movie which surely keeps you glued to the screen till the very last second it leaves the screen. Definitely worth its salt.

A good job by Christopher Zalla.. From the very beginning, we could see that Juan, innocent as he was deep inside, could not resist the madness inside him that was triggered by his struggle, desperation, hunger, etc, similar to the spontaneous effects of gravity in this universe. Each man for himself. No friendship. If anything similar to friendship, then conditions for cooperation. A nice rule/formula, played out nicely not only in this movie, but also within the real-life framework of the illegal immigrant society, facing deportation the moment they are in the hands of the cops. For them, they know only one language : "struggle", with it's only words :"food","money","shelter".

I'd recommend this film to anyone who either has not woken up to the reality of cruelty and hardships which illegal immigrants in the US face, or who questions it in any way. A nice eye-opener for us.