Nueba Yol

Because of a lack of funding, Nueba Yol is not a very well made film. Although the main character, Balbuena, is quite likable, the film is lacking in multiple elements. There is a bit of confusion as to how certain events come about and a good amount left unanswered at the end. The concept of the movie, a Dominican wanting to move to New York and find a new life, is good and it is relatable in that many people find their dreams turn out differently than expected, but it is not well carried out. As a Dominican film it isn't bad and many Dominicans love it, but showing it to an American audience will evoke a less than desirable response.

This movie is not only funny but it shows the mentality that Dominicans in the Dominican Republic have, I know because my entire family member in d.r thought the same things. (if you live in new York money flies like leafs and you can just catch it in the air), it also shows how an immigrate comes to face all the difficulties of finding a job and having to sleep of sofa mattress and come to realize this is not how it was picture or said. The movie is very funny and also truthful I think the author wanted people to know mostly of how people that don't live in the us think about this country, he was successful doing it. Overall I think the movies great!

Welcome to Nueba Yol

Balbuena pulls out the keys to his cousin Pedro's overcrowded apartment and makes a failing attempt to open the door. To Balbuena, opening a New York City apartment door is one of the hardest things to do. Nothing compares to opening the door of his "ranchito" back in the Dominican Republic. Unable to speak English, Balbuena finds it difficult to communicate with the police officer, whose gun is pointed directly at him. He unsuccessfully tries to speak to him in Spanish and says that he is new in this country, but to the police officer this means nothing. His failed attempt to open the door has convinced him that Balbuena belongs to the group of the drug dealers who were just caught right outside of his apartment building .

Nueba Yol is a comic film, written, produced and directed by Angel Muniz, who is also widely known in the Dominican Republic for his other two films, Perico Ripiao and Ladrones a Domicilio. Nueba Yol was released in 1995. Receiving a rating of 7/10 from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), this film is the first out of three volumes. The main actors are Caridad Ravelo as Nancy, Raul Corbonell as Fellito, Joel Garcia as Pancho and the protagonist, Luisito Marti, who was also a musician, comedian and producer, as Balbuena, his iconic character. After this film Marti was recognized, not only for his character in this film but for his work as a musician and comedian as well. After the death of his fiancé, Balbuena receives a small fortune, which he uses to buy a home in the Dominican Republic. His desire to experience living in New York is so intense that when his friend Fellito offers to help him get to the United States, he risks losing his home to buy a visa. His first experience in New York is accidentally getting hit by a car. This is where he meets Nancy, a Dominican woman who will soon be returning to the Dominican Republic. She is also one of the people who helps Balbuena in New York. They developed a friendship which quickly turned into a romance. Unfortunately, Nancy's time in New York is limited and she is forced to leave Balbuena behind. He also meets Pancho, a local restaurant owner. Being an immigrant himself, he is able to look past the fact that Balbuena doesn't have working papers and gives him his first job opportunity. The film heavily focuses on Balbuena's relationship with these two characters, who end up heavily influencing Balbuena's final outcome.

Although the film is presented as a comedy, it holds a lot of truth. The film successfully shows the experience of a foreign person who is in New York for the first time. Balbuena, like most immigrants when first coming to New York, doesn't speak English and is faced with a language barrier. As an outcome he gets into certain situations that could have been avoided if he knew English. Another situation that a lot of people deal with is not having shelter. Although Balbuena had family in New York and was able to stay with his cousin Pedro for some time, eventually he had to leave and find a place of his own. A lot of people overstay their welcome with their families and are forced to try and make it on their own. The issue of employment is another topic that was presented in this film. Being an undocumented immigrant like Balbuena can make it hard to find a job. Many are forced to jump from job to job and settle for whatever little pay the employers offer.

I recommend this film to any young adult/adult or anyone who is interested in knowing more about the experience of a person who goes to the United States in search of their "American dream." Some of the situations that Balbuena is faced with in this film aren't pleasant and are situations that people, in particular some immigrants, can relate to. Despite all the hardship that is presented in this film, Balbuena's optimistic attitude throughout the movie and the fact that the film was made into a comedy makes it easier for the film to be viewed. In a way the comedy sugarcoats the harsh reality of the film. I liked this movie because although at times it was a bit exaggerated, it still represented real life events. I also liked Balbuena's character: he was very optimistic, hardworking and determined. I think it's very important that Balbuena's character had these qualities because it showed that succeeding in a foreign place doesn't only depend on a person's attitude but on the place itself. I also feel that his optimism kept the film from becoming a sob story of a young Dominican man who failed trying to make it in New York.

This picture gets the reality that embrace many foreigners trying to get to the United States. Being this one of the first attempts of the Dominican Film Industry I don't think they did that poorly. The story is based on a local comedy character (Balbuena) who widowed several years early. He doesn't have any skills or knowledge and only goes around surviving until a friend of him promises to take him to the promise land "nueva yol" (new york city). One of the phrases to convince him to go there is: In nuevayol you find five dollar bills growing in the streets. You will find many locations and culture from The Dominican Republic and some of the places where most of the dominican colony resides in New York

I was disappointed to see the low rating this film got overall, but I noticed that about 1/3 of voting viewers gave it a 10. If you like it, you really like it. And the people who like it most are Dominicans. Is this because it only appeals to people from that particular island country? I have recommended it to friends and students only to hear them complain about plot and characterization being too...stereotyped. Balbuena is a bit of a caricature. This is in the great tradition of Hispanic comedy, including pictures like the Cantiflas films and Mi familia (with its roots in Chicano theater). It has something in common with early Spike Lee (e.g. Do the Right Thing) and also a film like John Sayles' Brother from Another Planet. It does not offer psychological realism of the sort that reinforces bourgeois individualism. But if you would like to have a taste of Dominican culture and you aren't afraid to temporarily give up your Hollywood aesthetic, this film could be for you. And Balbuena is funny as hell.