A better a Life by Chris Weitz - Essay Example

A better a Life by Chris Weitz The movie “A Better Life” is an American drama film produced in 2011 and directed by Chris Weitz. A better life details the love of a father and the struggles of a parent to ensure his child achieves the opportunities he never had. The movie premiered in theatres on June 21, 2011 and was out on DVD in Oct 18, 2011 and is rated PG-13 owing to use of drugs, language, and some violence as the movie details the struggles of the street gangs and the quest for a better life by some of the members of East Los Angeles community. This study aims at investigating the portrayal of undocumented workers, children of undocumented workers with specific emphasis on single parents, deportation of families, and living conditions in the film. Undocumented workers Undocumented workers are faced with the challenge of being found out for lack of licensing and documentation and face deportation. Carlos is in such a situation and he reveals his fears to his employer, Blasco who wants to return to Mexico after making enough money. Undocumented workers have no guarantee that they will be hired to work without licensing and insurance as Carlos is unsure if he will get any employment after Blasco leaves for Mexico and has to take the risk of purchasing Blasco’s truck to be his own employer and take on Blasco’s business. The only choice that is available for undocumented workers in the United States is to work as a hired hand and ensure they are invisible if they are to survive the debilitating conditions as undocumented workers. There is no certainty in the lives of undocumented workers as to the presence of work compared to documented workers who have access to monthly jobs and pension schemes, as well as health insurance. This is well illustrated when Blasco drops Carlos after a day’s work and informs him that there will be no work the next day. The other episode that exposes this sad reality in the lives of undocumented workers is where workers congregate to be picked up for work and some immigrate may not have the chance of getting work as depicted by Santiago an Carlos at the end of the day. The other portrayal of undocumented workers is that they have to play certain roles in the community that are despised including lawn mowing as done by Carlos, park cars, washing dishes, and man tables in hotels. Undocumented workers are faced with financial challenges and have to work even on Sundays to make ends meet. Carlos reveals this when he tells his son that he will grow the business and make enough money to allow them to move to a better area, better school, and stop working on Sundays to be able to spend more time with him (Horn). The other view of the lives of undocumented workers is a struggle to be the best in the midst of suspicion and betrayal as is revealed by Santiago when he steals Carlos truck and races away. Carlos has tries to flunk down a Prius for help but it honks and drives off and cannot ask for police help since he is an illegal immigrant and owing to that, he loses his truck only a day after purchasing it. Children of undocumented workers with specific emphasis on single parents The children of undocumented workers are portrayed to be survivors and acceptors of the destiny they have where stealing is part of life. This is well depicted as the movie starts when Luis requests for some money from his father for school and when he is told that none is available, jokes that he would have to “jack an old lady then”, to get some. The other portrayal of the movie on the lives of undocumented parents is gang affiliations as seen when Ruthie threatens someone who jerked Luis money that she is the one to get him killed and that he ask, “who my uncles are”, showing that she has relatives or affiliations as gangs who can do anything including killing (Horn). This frightens him and he jokes that he was just borrowing for fear of the gangs, as they were known for shooting, killings, and other acts. Despite the struggles, Garlindo tries his best to provide for Luis and even gets him a red jersey as a present when he receives a loan from his sister to buy the truck when Blasco decides to go back to Mexico (Horn). The movie portrays that youth gangs are prevalent and each youth is expected to have affiliations to a youth gang. This is depicted well in the movie when Luis is at a police station and a juvenile officer asks which gang he belongs to and is astonished to find that he has no gang affiliations as expressed in the lack of tattoos on his body for identification to a youth gang. The children are also portrayed as ready to break the law in following the footsteps of their parents. This is well demonstrated when Luis requests his father if he could drive when he turns 16 and he is reminded that he lacks a license to which he jokes that his dad does not have a license too and he is driving. Luis depicts children of undocumented parents are Americanized he does not understand an accented Mexican announcer at a Mexican horse dancing rodeo event. Deportation of families Deportation is portrayed to be real in the movie as Carlos fears that since he has no license to operate the licensing business since he is an illegal immigrant, it is a risk if he purchases Blascos truck (Dargis). This eventually becomes the case as Carlos is caught and flagged for registration and license by police officers. Since he could not produce the documents, he is to be deported and cannot be taken on for political asylum and he is separated from Luis, his only son. He is warned of legal consequences if he returns to the United States and tearfully, Luis and his father are separated, he has to live with his aunt if he is to have a better life to which his father aimed at providing for him. Living conditions in the film The movie portrays the living conditions of undocumented workers who are illegal immigrants from Mexico as dire. This is depicted by the conditions that Carlos Galindo played by Demian Bichir and his son Luis (Jose Julian) who lives in a one-bedroom house in East Los Angeles that looks like a shack (Dargis). The one-bed room house consists of rooting wood and dirty walls. Carlos Galindo cannot afford a bigger house and has to sleep on the couch leaving the bed for Luis showing the hardships and tough living conditions the undocumented workers have to go through to get a life. Work Cited Dargis, Manohla. Drifting Apart, Struggling Together. The New York Times, June 23, 2011. Print. Horn, John. Chris Weitz's 'Better Life' shines light on illegal immigrant issues. Los Angeles Times, June 21, 2011. Print. Read More