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Analysis of “A Better Life” Film

“A Better Life” is a film directed by Chris Weitz’s and it is centered on the personal struggles of a Mexican gardener who lives in the United States illegally. Carlos who is the lead character in the movie is an undocumented Mexican who works as a gardener tending the grasslands of Los Angeles residents who according to his perception are rich. He lived a low life in a small house whose garden was used to grow some starter plants for his customers (Morales, p.234). Carlos raises his fifteen-year-old son, Luis on his own since his wife left them some years ago. In this film, two men Carlos and his son are pulled apart by the life condition in the United States. From their characters, Carlos keeps a low profile, he is hand working and moreover tend to hold some traditional standards.

Contrary, on the other hand, is Luis who has not yet joined a gang in his locality, but from his character, it can be projected that he was heading to join one of the groups in the neighborhood. Luis is arrogant, he skips school, and he silently reflects his father an irrelevant loser, and he degrades him when he asks for some, and he is not given. Carlos, however, is a silent striver who embodies a character that is ultimately heartbreaking.

Through his hard work, Carlos had scraped together every last dollar to buy him a truck. With the vehicle, he was determined to become his boss, establish a good business and moreover be able to care for his son who was wandering towards gang life slowly. However, his truck was stolen by a day laborer, and this shattered Carlos dreams of changing his family’s livelihood as he was left with a debt he was not sure whether he would be able to repay. From this point, the film seems to take a new direction. Carlos thus asks his son Luis to help him search it as both seem to depend on the truck for their existence. They could have reported the case to the police as well as the insurance agents, but due to their illegal immigrant nature they had no otherwise but to search by themselves (Morales, p.235). The voyage takes them all over the city from a cramped South Central Apartment and finally to a small kitchen where the day workers wash dishes through the night. This depicts the harsh life in which the immigrants were subjected living whereby they were living in fear of not being caught by the law, and hence most of them kept their profile low. In their search, a good bond between Carlos and Luis is evident notwithstanding their polar-opposite viewpoints.

In “A Better Life” movie, most of the drama is all about the immigrant’s journey in search for success which is characterized by exploitation as well as fear but eventually ends with no triumph. This movie depicts the present condition in the United States where the immigrants are harshly treated. Currently, in the United States among the eleven million undocumented immigrants, sixty percent have been there for an era or more. While comparing “A Better Life” film, with the situation in the United States, the law in America rarely provides the long-term immigrants the right to stay, thus punishing them to a life of ambiguity without liberation. Any undocumented immigrant unfortunate encounter with law enforcers or traffic stop can lead to severe punishment and direct deportation to one’s country.

Works Cited

Morales, P. (2013). A Better Lifeby Tony Thomas and Chris Weitz. Journal of Latinos and Education, 12(3), pp.234-235.