A Better Life

Greetings from Lithuania.

"Better Life" was a really good movie. It reminded my another good movie about similar life "The Visitor". This is a really inspiring and touching movie about single fathers "journey" to make a better life for his son (or as they say, to find American dream). The way is hard, and sure not everyone can go through it. It's really rare in these days to see such a simple story on a big screen, not overdone in special effects and stuff like that.

If you like simple and quiet but powerful stories, "Better Life" is one not to be missed.

Chris Weitz did a screening of this film at SMC, where I study film, and the reactions of the audience were engaging. The room was filled with a great aura and that was because the screening was filled with people with ethnicities from all over the world and that made the experience a lot more rewarding.

This guy is the same one that brought us American Pie and the second installment of the Twilight series? Yes he is, but let me tell you something, if these paychecks will make him do more movies like this one, then bring another 4 twilight adaptations right now!

The movie is about "Los Mojados", these people who everyday crosses the border from Mexico to the US to look for "A Better Life" like the title implies, trying not to forget their roots, their culture and at the same time struggling to find money to pay the rent, to eat and to survive in the United States without a SSN and without ID. You will wonder why we need to prove we're not from Mars with a visa if God already gave us permission to be here on earth every single second of the movie, absurd and unfair things this world has.

The acting by Demián Bichir, who looks like a younger Vicente Fernández to me, is invisible. You sometimes think you're watching a documentary if it wasn't for the glossy production value of the flick.

This movie needs to be seen by a wider audience, you need to look for it. If you do not feel touch by it, you're surely made out of stone.

The direction by Chris Weitz captures the essence of East LA in a second. There's a scene in the movie where in a matter of 3 minutes you can see how many cultures collide in this side of Los Angeles and how this story can repeat itself in several cultures.

This is also a story about true love between a father and a son, and how you can forget about everything and try every little thing to give your child the things he deserves.

One of the best little movies I have seen this year.

PS: If you like this one, and you're not afraid of B&W cinematography (no, it is not in 3D either) run and rent De Sica's Umberto D., a great masterpiece of Italian neorealism.

the film "A Better Life" is one of the best films I seen this year and one of the favorites of all time. The film "A Better Life" is such a touching film and it will touch you if you have had a hard time just make it day to day in life. This film is about people who work hard everyday and at the end of the day they can never get ahead.This film will teach others who take their life's for granted, not to take their life's for grant because there are people in this world that want the simple things in life like parents that just want to spend time with their kids and they cannot because they have to work or do other thing.The film "A Better Life is about the people and for the people. I highly recommend this movie to others.

Carlos Galindo (Demian Bichir) wants nothing more than to provide his son, Luis (Jose Julian), with the life he himself never had. An illegal alien who has lived in the US for many years, Carlos works as a gardener and keeps his head down, always mindful of what deportation would mean for his son. Luis, meanwhile, is a typically rebellious teenager who doesn't understand or appreciate his father's sacrifices and who is on the brink of joining the local gang. When Carlos' boss planning to leave the gardening business and head home, he offers to sell his truck and equipment to his loyal employee. Desperate to make something happen for himself, Carlos accepts the offer and goes into business for himself, a risk he normally would not take. But when the truck is stolen by a day laborer, Carlos and Luis go on a journey to recover their property and in the process, rebuild the relationship that they've both sorely missed.

I think it was a surprise to many to find Demian Bichir's name among those nominated for Best Actor at this year's Academy Awards. On a list that includes Gary Oldman, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and eventual winner Jean Dujardin, Bichir seemed a bit out of place, especially considering some of the great work done by accomplished actors who were not recognized by the academy (Ryan Gosling, Michael Shannon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, etc.). This is one of those situations, however, that demands a viewing before judgment because, having now seen A Better Life, I can certainly understand the Academy's decision. Simply put, this is a heartfelt, power house performance by an actor that perfectly embodies his role. Carlos encapsulates elements of heartbreak and hope, misfortune and motivation and in doing so creates a deeply layered and personal portrayal. Bichir plays Carlos with subtlety, acting as much with his eyes as with his words, giving notice of the internal conflict waging within the man throughout his various struggles. It is truly an outstanding performance and one that carries significant weight.

The rest of A Better Life, though, doesn't quite measure up to the brilliance of the lead performer. Many of the early scenes come off as manufactured rather than organic, a polar opposite to the path that Bichir takes with his character. It is too earnest at times and that could cause cynical jerks like me to bail on the film before it ever really gets going. To be fair, A Better Life gets better as it goes and eventually leaves the safety of borderline-manipulative Oscar bait behind in favor of a more genuine tone but in some ways that makes the first act even more frustrating. There are also a handful of scenes that could have been edited out or restructured more purposefully and many of Bichir's colleagues fail to deliver at a compatible level with the film's star. Julian shows flashes of excellence but overall I found his performance to be spotty and less-than believable. I can't say whether the blame for this rests on Julian or the film's director, Chris Weitz, but the dynamic between father and son didn't always deliver. It would have been interesting to see Bichir go toe-to-toe with a more challenging co-star, similar to the interactions between George Clooney and Shailene Woodley in The Descendants.

What saves A Better Life from becoming yet another independent film that doesn't live up to the strength of its leading performer is the conclusion. Weitz saves his best work for last, creating a stirring, emotional scene in the very end in which Bichir delivers beautifully and which exhibits the very best of the relationship between Carlos and Luis. It is a hopeful, impactful finale that covers over the film's previous missteps and allowed me to leave with a higher opinion of the film than I might have had otherwise. The result is a good movie highlighted my one fantastic performance and brought home by one stirring scene.

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A Better Life is a pretty standard story. In fact, it's plot has some contrivances that I wish it didn't, and it doesn't feel as smooth as I wish, but for all of it's writing flaws, it still made me completely empathize for these characters. I connected with them in part because I know too much of the hardships of these kinds of people. My parents have had similar obstacles to overcome as well, and living not too far away from the area shown in this film, I know what it can be like. This is a good film, but then there's Demian Bichir.

This never once feels like acting, and it wasn't until the final scene between Bichir and his son that I realized how effective this film had been. In that final scene, I actually let out tears. For the first time, the writing didn't feel contrived, or the dialogue weak. It all came together for Bichir, and in that final scene you break down with him. It is one of the best acted scenes of the year, and one of the most effective. It isn't until that final scene that you realize how much he has lured you in to his inner feelings, and how much he has made you care. It all sounds cheesy, and many times the film is, but that final scene between father and son is the only scene from 2011 that actually made me weep like a child. Powerful performance by Bichir, and completely deserved his nomination. I also want to mention that Jose Julian is also quite effective.