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Film Reviews

Many of these feature-length films can be found on www.imdb.com or www.amazon.com. Movies are arranged by year and then alphabetically by title. A special thanks to Sheela Murthy for compiling many of these films.

While some movies deal directly with immigration as a theme, others are slightly more nuanced yet still touch on the topic. If you know of an immigration-themed movie that is not on this list, please let us know.

In Between Days

Competitor in the Independent Drama category at Sundance 2006, this is a coming-of-age film about a Korean-American teenager, though it is more than that and not easily categorized, exploring many facets of humanity, relationships, and communication. Starring Jiseon Kim as Aimie, and directed by So Yong Kim.

Year Released: 2006

Interviews With Detainees

As part of an ongoing project to express the plight of undocumented migrants in the United States, I spent a day with CAIR Coalition at a regional jail in Virginia, interviewing immigration detainees and recording their stories. This seven-minute short is a product of that day. Since its creation in March 2006, this short has been screened on many occasions, including on the nationally-syndicated television show Democracy Now, for many senatorial staffs on the Hill, at the Washington Regional Media Day of Dialogue, at Busboys and Poets, and at several advocacy group fundraisers.

Year Released: 2006

Seoul Train

With its riveting footage of a secretive

Year Released: 2006

Sweet Land

Based on Will Weaver's short story, "A Grave Made of Wheat," Sweet Land is a flashback to 1920s Minnesota, when Lars Torvik's grandparents met on their wedding day. It is a story of love, trial and strength of will as well as fear and prejudice. It is the story of how the American heartland was settled by immigrants. Olaf and Inge represent the grandparents and great-grandparents of many Americans. Written and directed by Ali Salim, himself the son of first-generation immigrants.

Year Released: 2006

The Namesake

The film adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri's acclaimed novel by the same name. Directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding 2000), Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle 2004) stars as Gogol in this tale of a first generation son of traditional, Indian immigrant parents. As he tries to make a place for himself, not always able to straddle two worlds gracefully, he is surprised by what he learns about his family and himself.

Year Released: 2006

Crossing Arizona

A documentary presented at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, this film explores escalating tensions over illegal immigration at one of the epicenters of the crisis - the Arizona / Sonora border. Human rights, national security, class, and culture are explored through the personal experiences of locals on both sides of the border in this balanced look at the issues. Directed by Joseph Mathew.

Year Released: 2005

De Nadie

Presented in the World Documentary category at Sundance 2006, this film comes from Mexico and follows the trials of many individuals leaving South and Central America bound for freedoms and opportunities too basic to be rightfully exclusive. A filmmaking neophyte, Tin Dirdamal approaches the medium with the sensitivity and skill of a veteran, drawing us into the oft-told story of immigrant hardships, presenting the material in a way that makes it more real and personal than we possibly could have understood before.

Year Released: 2005

Eve And The Fire Horse

The search for salvation evokes a kaleidoscopic blend of Buddhas and crucifixes, when the mother (Vivian Wu) of two Chinese girls (Hollie Lo and Phoebe Kut) brings bad luck on the household. Told from the child's point of view, this delightful gem comes from writer / director Julia Kwan (Three Sisters on Moon Lake 2001).

Year Released: 2005

Everything Is Illuminated

Liev Schreiber screenwrites and directs this quirky film adaptation of the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, in which a young Ukrainian man, Alex (Eugene Hutz) and his grandfather (Boris Leskin) forge an unlikely alliance with Jonathan Safran Foer. Jonathan (Elijah Wood) is a young American Jew on a pilgrimage to the small village from which his grandfather escaped, in search of the woman whom the family believes saved their patriarch from death. Jonathan is not the only one who finds something on this journey, however.  If Wood's handling of the protagonist is wooden and forced, at times, Eugene Hutz as Alex steals the show and is a delight to watch.

Year Released: 2005

Game 6

This is a quietly brilliant little film about a Broadway playwright, Nicky Rogan (Michael Keaton), whose opening night coincides with Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Robert Downey, Jr. is the loathsome critic who is about to plunge Nicky's career into the toilet. The immigrant connection comes in with each taxi ride, and is a wonderful element of the film. This is a story about connections- connecting over the theatre, over taxi rides, and, largely, connecting over baseball.

Year Released: 2005