gavin6942 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.

Chris Haskell 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.

zetes Excellent film about the experiences of a Mexican migrant worker (Domingo Ambriz). Shot in a very authentic documentary style, it follows Ambriz's fleeting experiences. In the blink of an eye, the man's life changes, and he has no choice but just to go along with wherever the wind takes him. One moment he's traveling across the country with his buddy (Trinidad Salva), the next moment his friend's gone forever. One moment he's involved with a single mother (Linda Gillen), the next moment he's being transported back to Mexico by Immigration officers. This was director Young's first film, made for PBS. IMDb actually lists his Short Eyes, which is an even better film (a masterpiece, in my opinion), as having come out first. Young re-edited the film into a director's cut in 2001, actually shortening it by about 15 minutes. That's the version presented by Criterion on their new edition. It's an unearthed gem.

Steve Skafte 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.