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An Exercise In Nonsense

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The acting in this movie is really good.

This movie is a touching story of a brother and sister trying to escape oppression in their native Guatemala and escape to 'El Norte' after the rest of their family has been taken by the army. We experience their hardships with them and see their fears and are constantly rooting for them to cross the border safely and hoping that they will find their place in the United States. They quickly realize that in 'El Norte' not everyone has a car and tons of money like their father had said. They bounce from city to city looking for work and avoiding deportation and realize that there is no place for them – not in Guatemala, Mexico or the United states. There is a lot of magical realism in the movie (which I'm not a fan of) and the ending is ambiguous but it is a great film that the viewer gets involved in emotionally.

This is probably one of the best films made yet about illegal immigration from Latin America because it tells of the hardships experienced at home, on the journey, and of life in America as illegal residents. Rosa and Enrique are Mayan peasants who are orphaned in the beginning of the movie by soldiers. They flee Guatemala for "El Norte," the place where their dreams can finally be realized, where wealth comes easily, and where they can leave their life of poverty. Unfortunately, however, it is apparent that their destiny is sealed from the beginning of the movie: they were dead the moment they were first targeted by the soldiers in their country. From that moment on, it seems as though death is trying to find and take them. In a gruesome scene, Enrique and Rosa cross the boarder through a rat-infested sewer where Rosa is attacked in what ultimately is fatal. Once in the United States, they live their lives so as to go undetected by society and live just to "get by." The real tragedy lies in the fact that after a life threatening journey across the boarder, Rosa and Enrique still do not escape living in constant fear. Rosa brings up the tragic idea that they have no place they can call home, and that there will likely never be a moment where they can live in complete and total peace of mind and being. This movie challenges everyone's ideas on illegal immigrants--both those in favor and against. For both parties, the movie brings to light that there is urgent need for reform in immigration that will correct the injustices that millions of people experience each year. The movie shows that neither kicking them out nor allowing them here solves the problem. There are no solutions promoted or suggested by the movie, but rather demands a response from the audience to seek and find a solution.

A Guatamlean brother and sister decide to leave for the north when the "strong arms" kill their mother and father. Rosita and Enrique go through hard times trying to get to America, and have hard times in America. From about ten minutes on until the end I was completely glued to the screen. The movie is split in to three categories, the first is them in Guatemala, the second is them in Tiijuana, and the third is them in America. The acting is great, the script is great, the direction is great, and the Indian music works surprisingly well. The ending of the movie at first glance is just a normal end to a movie, but it has a deeper meaning after watching it again. This is Gregory Nava's best film, and if he will be remembered for any this will be it. I highly recommend this extremely compelling drama, and I personally think this was the best film of 1983.My rating: **** out of ****. 135 mins. Rated R for Strong Language and Violence.

Bearing in mind the problems in the United States with immigration at the moment I feel that El Norte should be watched again and reflected upon. America is a land of immigrants. The Bush administration needs to chill out and the laws need to change accommodate our friends from the south, not alienate them and criminalise them. I am an ex-pat American; an immigrant to the United Kingdom. I can only hope that the conservative right in the USA opens up its eyes and begins to welcome the brave Latinos and Latinas, as I myself have been welcomed into my adopted country. They need to learn to do unto others and they would have done unto themselves. Our Latin American friends have suffered terribly through the past fifty years as a result of the US government paranoia about the rise of socialism of any sort in their backyard. The Monroe Doctrine, which states that US interests must be protected at all costs in the western hemisphere, is at the root of the problems that led to the massacres in Guatemala in the 1980's. The film El Norte shows vividly what a terrible effect this had on our neighbours. Ordinary citizens did not realise what was happening; I believe that Americans are good people, but they are often misled by the government and the media. Now the American people have the opportunity to make it up to the Latins. I would love to see them make proper amends NOW!