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IMDbPro

Alambrista!

  • 1977
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
878
YOUR RATING
Alambrista! (1977)
AdventureDrama

After the birth of his first child, Roberto, a young Mexican man slips across the border into the United States. Seeking work to support his family back home, he finds that working hard is n... Read allAfter the birth of his first child, Roberto, a young Mexican man slips across the border into the United States. Seeking work to support his family back home, he finds that working hard is not enough.After the birth of his first child, Roberto, a young Mexican man slips across the border into the United States. Seeking work to support his family back home, he finds that working hard is not enough.

  • Director
    • Robert M. Young
  • Writer
    • Robert M. Young
  • Stars
    • Domingo Ambriz
    • Trinidad Silva
    • Linda Gillen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    878
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert M. Young
    • Writer
      • Robert M. Young
    • Stars
      • Domingo Ambriz
      • Trinidad Silva
      • Linda Gillen
    • 10User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins total

    Photos35

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    Top cast52

    Edit
    Domingo Ambriz
    • Roberto
    Trinidad Silva
    Trinidad Silva
    • Joe
    Linda Gillen
    Linda Gillen
    • Sharon
    • (as Linda Gillin)
    Ned Beatty
    Ned Beatty
    • Anglo Coyote
    Jerry Hardin
    Jerry Hardin
    • Man in cafe
    Julius Harris
    Julius Harris
    • 2nd Drunk
    Ludevina Mendez Salazar
    • Roberto's Wife
    Maria Guadalupe Chavez
    • Roberto's Mother
    Rafaela Cervantes de Gomez
    • Midwife
    Feliz Cedano
    • Tomato Field Mayordomo
    Edward Lopez
    • Contratista
    Evelyn Chieko Saito
    • Strawberry Field Owner
    Tom Tar
    • Strawberry Field Owner
    Gabriel Segura
    • Strawberry Field Mayordomo
    Paul Berrones
    • Berto
    George Smith
    • Cook in Cafe
    Dennis Harris
    • Sharon's Brother
    Edward James Olmos
    Edward James Olmos
    • 1st Drunk
    • (as Edward Olmos)
    • Director
      • Robert M. Young
    • Writer
      • Robert M. Young
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    7.3878
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    Featured reviews

    9wootenwriter

    Excellent example of documentary film making....

    I saw this in Sociology class at the University of San Francisco. Outstanding narrative of a poor young man who simply wants to support his family. What's refreshing and quite funny is the depiction of some of the most bizarre aspects of American life. The scene where the lead attends a tent revival and witnesses some of the members heaving and pitching on the floor is hilarious.

    What I appreciated most about this film was the film's statement that many white Americans need to deal with much the same insecurity and yearnings as do their Mexican brethren. Capitalism's most brutal aspects are laid bare and it doesn't matter who is in way if profit is to be collected. Highly recommend this to anyone who is fed up with the moronic fare of current Hollywood films...
    7mossgrymk

    alambrista!

    Sometimes powerful but too often sluggish film about MAGA's favorite bogeyman, illegal immigrants of color. Best thing about it is its raw, grainy, docu-drama look and feel, with unknown actors (Ned Beatty and Jerry Hardin excepted), giving it a most welcome, non Hollwoodized look at the travails and very fleeting happiness of a farm worker named Roberto (well played by Domingo Ambriz) who makes the ill fated decision, as did his father, to leave his home for The Land Of Opportunity.

    The film's biggest flaw is that Roberto's journey is a way too slow one. If director Robert M. Young had ever internalized the art of pacing it does not show in this movie where scenes tend to go on way too long (for example, the one where Roberto's fellow alambristas instruct him in how to order breakfast at a diner, the one set in the Holy Roller church, the interminably dull story Hardin's redneck character tells, etc), thus draining them of excitement and interest. Fortunately, the key scene, where Roberto finds out about his father and, as a result, has a break down and returns home is handled quite effectively with a general lack of sentimentality that makes Roberto's crack up heartbreaking rather than merely hysterical. And the scenes set in down and out Stockton rival those of John Huston set in that same place in "Fat City", made at around the same time. I also liked the musical score by Michael Martin Murphey that is a combination of Ry Cooderish border, blues, ranchera and country and that helps to get the viewer over the film's frequent speed bumps. B minus.
    8cwhaskell

    very humbling to watch as a gringo

    It is difficult to talk about this movie without getting political, but maybe that's the point? Not sure, anyways, there were a few very powerful moments in the film for me. The most common point of discomfort was the multiple times Roberto had all of his choices, and thereby his freedoms, taken away. He had a vision for what he wanted out of America, and it was uncomfortable to watch his version of how he wanted his life to go be shattered by the unforgiving reality of how undocumented workers are treated.

    Perhaps the thing that struck me the hardest, however, was how quickly life changed. There were a few times throughout the movie where, without warning, Roberto's life was drastically altered. I was aware of the fact that this type of thing happens, but seeing it played out was emotionally exhausting, I can't imagine what it must be like to live it.

    I really hope this film gets rediscovered. It's a seemingly very brutal and honest portrayal of the very difficult decisions and sacrifices migrant workers have to make.
    7gavin6942

    The Immigrant Experience

    After the birth of his first child, Roberto, a young Mexican man slips across the border into the United States. Seeking work to support his family back home, he finds that working hard is not enough.

    I wish I could recall the name of another film I watched not too long ago about the immigrant experience of crossing the border and trying to find work in America. While different, the two make a good pair and a thorough analysis comparing and contrasting them would make for a great essay.

    One of the more interesting things about this is how smoothly things go, for the most part. Yes, there is an incident in the junkyard concerning bad food, but one of the first Americans encountered goes out of her way to help the man despite knowing almost no Spanish at all.
    8SteveSkafte

    "Ham, Eggs, and Coffee"

    It's surprising how "Alambrista!" has slipped into near-total oblivion after being shown at Cannes and receiving some measure of admiration there. But it seems to have never enjoyed a release on VHS, and hasn't appeared on DVD until quite recently. It's a shame, because this film serves as a very piercing, close-up examination of the life of an illegal immigrant.

    Robert M. Young has made a number of daring and unusual films in his career, off-center stories with characters most people wouldn't notice. In "Short Eyes" it was a young pedophile in prison, and in "Dominick and Eugene" he focused on the everyday life of a mentally retarded man. Here, he takes a deep trip into the underbelly of American society, a side most of us will never come close to seeing. "Alambrista!" is a basic tale, one that Young penned himself (it was the only film he'd ever both write and direct). It's uncomplicated, but not untrue. There's a familiar 1970s documentary approach, up close and personal, and it serves things well. Also doing his own cinematography, Young is very much in on the action.

    Domingo Ambriz plays Roberto, a quiet and not entirely bright Mexican man. He's very kind, but completely innocent of cities and American life. It's a heartfelt performance, and it has to be. Everything hinges on his believability. Linda Gillen is very good as the waitress Sharon, also a rather innocent personality. The characters come almost secondary, because we don't get too far beneath their skin. This isn't an internal, mental film - it's a silent observation of things. Take a close look.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Robert M. Young's first feature film.
    • Crazy credits
      "ALAMBRISTA, the DIRECTOR'S CUT is dedicated to the spirit of TRINIDAD SILVA and the UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS who labor in our fields."
    • Alternate versions
      In 2003, it was re-edited and remastered with a new soundtrack by Jose "Dr. Loco" Cuellar, Greg Landau, Francisco Herrera and Tomas Montoya and was re-released with a book on University of New Mexico Press.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema (2001)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 18, 1978 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • Spanish
      • English
    • Also known as
      • ¡Alambrista! - The Illegal
    • Filming locations
      • Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico
    • Production company
      • Filmhaus
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 50m(110 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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