City of Dreams

I'm lucky to have grown up with a certain ignorance.. liked most people in the world we are not enough aware of the suffering of others. Safe from the horrors that other people endure i can buy my clothing at the cheapest price. But it's not that I'm truly unaware - it's what we Dutch call 'far from my bed'.. these things are so far away from my day to day live that my subconscious chooses to ignore that horror.

Therefore i thank the makers of this movie, it was very impressive.

The storytelling was very good, camerawork did add to that. The acting of all the characters and dept off their roles were very well played out. It shows that there are only victims - all having their dreams crushed.

A movie the world needs to see.

This movie continues to fight for the real issue of child slavery. A real issue that cannot fade into the background of our everyday lives. It is tastefully done while at the same time it doesn't minimize the seriousness of this topic. The actors are extremely well cast. The filmmakers have made a film about a topic that is not glamorous but needs to be heard. This is not a movie that will leave you feeling excited and happy. But that's not its point. But this absolutely is a must see film and more importantly, a film that deserves and needs to have its message heard long after leaving the theatre.

This is a film that inspires you. We watch as Jesus fights for his freedom. It's a Heroic thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and engaged the whole time. The filmmaking is beautiful and the performances are great. This film will make you feel something in your heart and inform you on labor trafficking in the U. S. I was unaware how serious of an issue labor trafficking is, until I watched this film. Some people might have a difficult time with the subject matter of the film, but that is no excuse not to watch this film because the people who are being trafficked have no choice.

Greetings again from the darkness. The mistreatment of kids is something that causes a physical reaction for me. It's not just the intellectual and emotional effects - my entire body reacts by shifting into some mode that's a cross between aggression, sickness, and denial. No matter how much we wish child trafficking wasn't occurring, we know that it is ... and reminders are crucial in keeping the awareness and discussions (and kids) alive. That's the role of the first feature film from writer-director Mohit Ramchandani.

Jesus (Ari Lopez) is a young boy in Mexico dreaming of a future as a star soccer player. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father seizes the chance to let his son pursue his dreams in the "new world" by attending a soccer camp. Everything has been arranged by a shady, Mustang driving character who most of us would never trust. However, Jesus's father is desperate for his son to have an opportunity for a better life.

A non-verbal Jesus is excited right up until he's frightened. He's dumped at a ragged house and led to the room lined with others of all ages who are slumped over sewing machines. This sweat shop is run by El Jefe (Alfredo Castro) and his foreman Cesar (Andres Delgado). To ensure we don't miss the "sweat" shop label, the actors are often coated in absurdly giant beads of fake sweat. It's the closest to comedy we get.

What occurs in the dark, dank world of sweat shops and child slave labor is portrayed here as indescribable misery. We see the long and unbearable working conditions of the kids, along with the harsh punishments that occur if one steps out of line. Elena (Renata Vaca) flirts with Jesus as teenagers do ... until she's whisked away and sold into child sex slavery. The only ray of hope we as viewers see is Officer Stevens (Jason Patric, an actor I erroneously predicted stardom for after watching THE LOST BOYS in 1987), a renegade local cop who senses criminal activity in the home, despite his superiors continually telling him to back off.

Inspired by a true story (actually too many similar stories), Ramchandani's film portrays the disgusting side of migrant child labor, child slavery, sex slavery, human trafficking ... whatever term you prefer. He tells us 12 million children have been victims of slavery. There are also a couple of other interesting factors: the bad guys aren't all Caucasian, greed is a driving force, and all involved (not just the kids) have dreams. El Jefe dreams of an acting career. We see Cesar studying his SAT prep book, and Jesus juggles visions of glory in soccer with nightmares of some evil tribal figure. The list of Executive Producers includes Tony Robbins, Linda Perry, and Thomas Jane. The brutal loss of childhood innocence is difficult to watch and concludes with a plea for action from young actor Ari Lopez.

In theaters August 30, 2024.

If you find yourself at this film, you know what you've bargained for. This is a tough watch. Young motherless Mexican boy Jesus (Ari Lopez) has dreams of a soccer star life. But of course he's mired in the worst poverty imaginable. He gets a dubious chance to attend an LA soccer camp, which Dad eagerly signs off on. Before you know it, he's sold off into a windowless sweatshop sewing for his life. The going rate for kids is $10K and up. A potential girlfriend is sold off into child sex slavery. Another kid arrives with the soccer camp pamphlet and Jesus loses it. Of course some sort of escape is in the works. We then meet Officer Stevens (Jason Patric). He strays from the LAPD MO and gets his just desserts. But a happy ending is coming, or at least as happy as one can expect under the circumstances. Patric is the biggest name in the film. He's had a decent enough career, but nothing notable in over thirty years. This film does have flashy producers: Tony Robbins, Luis Fonsi, Yalitza Aparicio, Linda Perry, Luis Mandoki, Enrique Santos, Thomas Jane and more. The director's father served in a sweatshop, so he has skin in the game.

This is a labor of love to focus attention on the issues of child labor and sex trafficking, kidnapping, etc. The last third of the film really picks up the pace and is riveting to watch. Patric is the white savior who makes everything marginally better. We assume that Jesus is better because of the epilogue, which I will not spoil. This is not a great film, but not a bad one either.