Even though the movie evolves around the story of a Colombian young couple, the Colombian director, Simon Brand, captures the traumatic path that Latin American immigrants go throw when swimming across the Rio Grande and walking across the Texas desert to finally get to America, as if it was the "promised land", only to become "mojados".
Mojados is a derogatory term for a person of Hispanic descent who has immigrated illegally to the United States. Commonly referring to Mexicans, although applicable to all Latinos, who have crossed the border illegally, the term originated with those who entered Texas from Mexico by crossing the Rio Grande, presumably by swimming or wading across and getting his or her back wet in the process. (www.answers.com/topic/wetback)
The movie takes place in Colombia and New York; its stars in Medellin with Reina, a teenager that like many others, is obsess with the idea of living the American dream. Reina hopes to find fortune in New York City. Marlon, her boyfriend, who is madly in love with her and entangled in her web of fantasies follows her will to reach their dreamland.
Unfortunately, the young couple doesn't have paper or sufficient money to reach their goal; so "they are forced" to take the horrible migration across Mexico. The journey that is no less than an expedition, where women are raped, men are shot and the main companions are fear, hunger, intimidation and sadness.
When the Colombian couple completes the illegal crossing, they start to experience all the troubles that include being illegal or a mojado, in the United States.
After arriving to the "big city" (NY) they got separated, and Marlon gets lost and looses all track of Reina. Luckily he meets and receives help from other immigrants. Stimulated by the idea of finding his love, goes through a nightmare and has to work in all sorts of thing in order to survive.
Shortly he realizes that he left behind his own dreams and gave up a simple life in Medellin, for a cruel and lonely reality. And that the reward for suffering all the way to America is only the promise of a little money and many long days soaked with sweat.
"Paraiso Travel" shows the harsh struggles Colombian immigrants have to endure as they make their way to the United States. As well as conquering the physical elements some face different problems, as in the case of Marlon. A young Colombian whose love is put to the test when he losses his girlfriend in New York City after a small run in with the police. The movie shows us how a small group of immigrants make their way from Colombia to Texas. The story was interesting and makes you realize the struggles of the immigrant. The movie gets it's point across by showing you the mental anguish of Marlon, a small fish in a big lake. (B. Cárdenas Cinevolver).
(Paraisotravelmovie.com) Adapted from Jorge Franco's acclaimed novel of the same title, PARAISO TRAVEL (which has broken box-office records in Colombia) is the story of Marlon Cruz (Aldemar Correa), a young Colombian man who, motivated by his girlfriend Reina (Angélica Blandón) leaves his comfortable life in Medellín and flees with her through Guatemala and Mexico, across the borders, illegally into the United States. Marlon's journey, which takes him through seedy strip clubs, dance halls, homeless hostels, and the streets of Jackson Heights ultimately takes him to a place he could not have predicted. Directed by Simon Brand with a screenplay by Jorge Franco and Juan Rendón, PARAISO TRAVEL also stars John Leguizamo, Margarita Rosa de Francisco, and Ana de la Reguera.
Paraíso Travel takes place in Colombia and New York and is spoken in Spanish, with English subtitles.
Paraiso Travel transcends a micro-understanding of Colombian immigration and assimilation into the United States and tells a larger human story of Latin American identity, all the while staying true to specific Colombian characteristics. Brand addresses why the film is not only for the Colombian and Latin public but for the American and European public as well, he says it is "because of its quality in every sense. A film like Paraíso Travel is relevant everywhere, above all in the United States, where in New York alone there are over a million Colombians and three million Latin people. It is a large community, decisive, and with growing power."
(Padgett 2008) "I wanted to make a film that makes Latin Americans think twice about traveling to the U.S. illegally," says its Colombian-born director, Simon Brand, "but one that also makes Americans think twice about how these people are treated once they get here." He scores on both counts.
In June 2003, Robert C. Bonner, the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Operation Desert Safeguard, made the following statement: In the past 5 years, more than 2,000 people have died attempting to cross the border between Mexico into the United States. Over 320 people died last year alone. And one of the most treacherous and dangerous areas to cross is the Sonora desert that extends from Mexico's State of Sonora into the State of Arizona, west of Nogales.
To wrap up, I wanted to share some reviews and parts of Tommy Davis, documentary "Mojados: Through the Night" taken from (mojadosmovie.com/press/):
When Tommy Davis told people he wanted to accompany a group of migrants traveling illegally from Mexico into the United States so he could film a documentary, they told him there was no way he could pull it off.
The result is "Mojados: Through the Night," a 65-minute documentary about a group of Mexicans who hope to cross the border to find jobs so they can send money to their families back home.
Guapo nicknamed "Handsome" just wants to use his carpentry skills to export his hand-crafted furniture to the United States. Oso, they call him "The Bear," in his 50s is the oldest of the group traveling illegally to the United States using the money he earns to buy land back in Mexico. Yet, another traveler is Tigre who spends most of his time each year picking vegetables in the US returning home for Christmas with money and gifts for his family. Finally, Viejo also known as "Old Man" decides to make the grueling trip across the Rio Grande and the dangerous desert even though in the past he has resisted due to an injured leg.
Davis tracks the progress of Hansome, The Bear, Tigre, and Old Man, step for step starting in Mexico where four are shown with their impoverished families. The depiction appears to be honest revealing that jobs in Mexico are scarce and those that are available don't provide the opportunities that even the lowest paying jobs offer in America. The risk associated with the walk seems worth the trouble at first, but as the hours and the days pass, we learn quickly why some 2000 people die each year attempting to make the hike.
In shooting Mojados: Through the Night, Davis ate what the four men ate (increasingly green tortillas, while they lasted), drank what they drank (water scavenged from cattle tubs, when they could find it), slept among the cacti, and schlepped 80 pounds of gear.
Nevertheless, he managed to keep his spirits up, at least most of the time.
"At one point, I knew we were walking in a circle, but I didn't have a compass to prove it," Davis recalls. "Finally I just sat down on the ground and told them I needed a break."
"Oso" was the veteran of several trips north, and he made Davis prove his grit by climbing a mountain with him. He also taught Davis the rules of the desert. "You can't take a knife or anything that might be used against you," he explains. "And if anyone gets hurt and can't go on, they're left behind."
"It just shows we have no clue what people will do for a job," Davis says. He recalls meeting a 12-year-old who had made it to Arizona but lost his family in the process. "I asked where he was going, and he said, 'Florida,'" Davis says. "It was 110 degrees that day, and he was ready to just start walking."
Bibliography
Tim Padgett. (2008, March 11). An Honest Look at Illegal Immigration. Time Magazine. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from www.time.com/time/arts/article. (Document ID: 0,8599,1721458,00).
U.S Customs and Border Protection. (2003, June 3). Statement Of Robert C. Bonner Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Operation Desert Safeguard. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/commissioner/speeches_statements/archives/2003/jun032003.xml
http://www.paraisotravelmovie.com/
http://www.mojadosmovie.com/press/
http://www.flixster.com/movie/paraiso-travel/reviews/Cinevolver?lsrc=MD-ANON-TP-REV-MORE
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