Product Details

• Actors: Demin Bichir, Jorge Ortiz, Kate del Castillo, Alejandra Lanza, Claudia Lobo
• Directors: Juan Carlos Valdivia
• Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Spanish
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Studio Latino
• DVD Release Date: September 4, 2007
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000RHRG6C
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,251 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Mario Alvarez (Demián Bichir) dreams of reuniting with his son and starting a new life in the United States, however obtaining a visa in Bolivia amidst corruption and harsh laws designed to curb immigration is no easy task. In director Juan Carlos Valdivia's thoughtful meditation on the post-9/11 political climate, one man will be forced to resort to questionable methods to achieve his goal. Mario's diligent efforts to escape to the U.S. are soon complicated, when he falls for a beautiful dancer, Blanca (Kate del Castillo) who offers new option for him to remain in Bolivia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better Than Most Hollywood Romances, February 21, 2009

By 

Douglas Herman "Douglas Herman" (Pompano Beach, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Visa (DVD)

Two things keep you glued to this movie. Well, make that three things. The story of a working class Bolivian guy who wants to get a visa to visit his son in America. When he runs into complications during his stay in Lima, he decides to heist some cash from a gold broker to grease the palm of corrupt officials. Meanwhile his neighbor, a stripper-with-the-proverbial-heart-of-gold takes a liking to him. She takes him to her club and he watches her dance. Worth renting the movie for that scene alone. So we (a) wonder whether she'll get her guy and (b) whether he'll pull off the heist without getting caught or killed, and (c) whether he'll ever get to America.

Lots of helicopter shots of Lima on clear days and nights, so this ain't Slumdog, although I'm sure Lima has lots of them. Well worth renting or owning, simply to see how Latin filmmakers make movies without resorting to (a) fistfights or (b) shootouts to move the story along. Very good performances by both leads, Kate del Castillo especially.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Muy horrible, October 27, 2007

By 

C. Evaul "cherok" (St. Louis, IL.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Visa [NTSC/REGION 4 DVD. Import-Latin America] (DVD)

No me gusta. Es una mala representación de Bolivia. No tiene sentido.
I did not like this movie at all. It has a bad image for Bolivia. It was not written well, had no real theme or point. It is full of stereotypes.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good actors, but overall very weak movie, March 6, 2008

By 

promok "mami de dos" (DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Visa (DVD)

I rented this because I was drawn to the unique storyline and because I love kate and demian.

however, the plot was pretty weak, which caused the actors to be less than incredible and instead give pretty forgettable performances. my guess is that the directing was not as good as it could have been, which compromised the overall impact of the movie.

I recommend it to watch but not to buy.