Uma Vida Melhor

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.

Please see my reviews at thesoapboxoffice.blogspot.com

Better Life, A (2011)

*** (out of 4)

Tender story of a Mexican illegal immigrant (Demian Bichir) living in Los Angeles and working as a gardener in hopes of giving his 15-year-old son (Jose Julian) a better life. The father thinks he's on the right track when he buys his partners truck and tools but they end up getting stolen so he goes out with his son to try and track them down. There's no question that this film was influenced by Vittorio de Sica's THE Bicycle THIEF as both features familiar plots but while this movie isn't nearly in the same league, the two lead performances and the tender story make it worth watching. I guess it should go without saying but there's nothing too original here. Not only is this film influenced by the Italian classic but we've also seen countless movies where a young man is faced with doing what's right and making a good living or going down the wrong path and joining a gang. This subplot with the son hanging out with the wrong group and them wanting to get him into a gang really doesn't add too much to the movie as we've simply seen it too many times. To be fair, we've also seen the hard-working father trying to teach his son a lesson but it's told very beautifully here by director Chris Weitz. The director manages to make several of the scenes quite memorable and I'm not going to spoil the biggest one but it comes towards the end and really wraps the story up nicely. Of course, the biggest benefit the film has going is the performance by Bichir as the father. The movie and performance got very good reviews when it was originally released but most people, including myself, missed it until Bichir was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. Most people didn't recognize the name or film but once you do watch this you're going to understand why he got so much praise. Just look at Bichir's eyes to see how much passion he gives the character and this is especially true in the scenes where he's thinking over his future and what he wants to see for his son. The performance is extremely tender and the actor makes the role his own. Julian is also very good as his son and manages to turn in a strong performance even when his character doesn't get the best moments. A BETTER LIFE is certainly far from flawless but the movie has some terrific drama and there's no question that it makes you feel for the father and care what happens to him.

2 Days back, Demián Bichir earned himself an Oscar-Nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for 'A Better Life'. And that was it, I saw 'A Better Life' exactly 24-hours later since his nomination was announced.

Demián Bichir delivers a Masterful Performance. A performance, that is so well-done, it come across as an astonishing embodiment. He elevates this film!

'A Better Life' Synopsis: A gardener in East L.A. struggles to keep his son away from gangs and immigration agents while trying to give his son the opportunities he never had.

'A Better Life', even as a film, is worth-seeing, thanks to the the moving screenplay, written by Eric Eason. The relationship between the Father & his Son, is wonderfully handled & written. Chris Weitz Directs this Human-Drama, with bravery. Cinematography is eye-filling. Editing & Art Design, are decent.

On the whole, 'A Better Life' is well-made, but it's Demián Bichir's embodiment, that makes this film unmissable.

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.

I like how Chris Weitz kept the focus on the characters and avoided the usual politics of the subject matter. This movie kept the audience riveted to the screen without resorting to usual polemics found in similar subject films. Personally I think this movie is closer to "El Norte" than "The Bicycle Thief", maybe a mix of the two but still authentic. Superb performances by most of the cast including Demian Bichir as Carlos Galindo, newcomer Jose Julian as Luis Galindo, Joaquin Cosio as Blasco, Bobby Soto as Luis' friend. Richard Cabral, Jason Medwin and Tom Schanleys played very believable, three dimension roles. Eric Eason and Chris Weitz did a great job on balancing keeping it real and entertaining at the same time. Carlos, a Mexican gardener in the United States illegally doing all he can trying to single handed raise a son in a vulnerable age at a vulnerable time. If you are looking for a warm and heart felt movie without the overblown melodramas then this is a most see.