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.
