Customer Reviews

Amexicano

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excellent movie about what truly happens to day labors and other immigrants who come here to work and not be a burden to our country, I know personally about immigrants as I work in this field and to see a movie so realistic..finally..was awesome as were the actors, Jennifer Peña btw is an awesome singer, check her music out...thanks!

AMEXICANO is not a formulaic film about day laborers & illegal immigration. Rather it is a story about an unlikely friendship that emerges not only during a number of day-labor projects in Queens but also through a series of events that occur off the job.

Not knowing what to expect from this virtually unpublicized Independent production, I enjoyed watching the gradual development of the story from its quirky beginning about the ill fortunes of a seemingly lazy "gordito" into one of abiding friendship. Bruno, the Italian-American "gringo boss" from Queens (played by Carmine Famiglietti), plays a hunch that Ignacio, a rather reserved-looking illegal Mexican day laborer (played by Raul Castillo), might be just the kind of worker that he needs to help him turn his luck around and pay off his mounting debts.

At first we see 2 men from very different backgrounds who can barely communicate with each other. Gradually they develop a work ethic that enables them to know each other better and leads them to better paying projects.

Suddenly, through an unfortunate incident, Bruno and Ignacio find themselves in a similar predicament -- having to hustle again to get regular work and re-establish themselves as a capable pair of workers. When Ignacio stands up for Bruno with the other Latino day laborers (mostly Mexican), their relationship evolves into a story with heart and some funny and touching moments.

The acting in AMEXICANO is quite good. All of the main characters (Famiglietti, Castillo, Jennifer Pena, and Manny Perez) play their roles convincingly. Each adds fresh dimensions to the story to give it a special charm that most Independent films hope to achieve.

There are a number of other enjoyable developments in the film to give it more breadth and depth, such as an ill-fated love triangle, which I mention here primarily to whet your appetite for this DVD without spoiling the story for you.

My only caution about AMEXICANO is that some viewers might want to politicize the film. It's very clear to me, especially from viewing the SPECIAL FEATURE interviews of the principal cast members (Pena, Perez & Castillo), the director (Matthew Bonifacio), and screenwriter-actor(Famiglietti), that this is a human story, not a political "piece". Those who wish to politicize the film will, but I assert that they will miss the charm of this film.

The setting is Queens, New York. The film is a 2009 independent venture which opened at the Tribecca Film Festival in 2007 which I watched on Netflix last night. It feels real and authentic. with a fine script by Carmine Famiglieietti, who also plays the lead character.

Bruno, a shy, overweight Italian American who lives in a basement apartment has just lost his job and has trouble paying his rent. His landlord suggests that he can earn money doing day work installing fences, fixing bathrooms and other home improvement jobs. When he protests that he doesn't know anything about this kind of work, the landlord tells him to go to a certain street corner where illegal immigrants hang out waiting for day work and pick a worker who will do all that stuff. This seems like a good idea but the first worker he hires is pushy brash bully who speaks English. The next day he recruits a different immigrant, Ignacio, (played by Raul Castillo), who is young, hard working and good at all the tasks that must be done. Soon he and Ignacio are doing jobs together and a camaraderie develops between the two of them. Bruno even starts to learn Spanish so he can communicate better with Ignacio and his wife. Things are going along very well and the friendship is a pleasure to see.

However, an act of violence against Ignacio by the bully changes everything and soon all are entangled in the very real world of the illegal immigrant, including an horrific scene of crossing the border. This is in contrast to the many heart-warming moments in the film as grim reality poses its ugly head.

The film left me with a deeper understanding of the plight of an illegal immigrant. It also left me with a glimpse of the positive relationships that are possible between people with different backgrounds.

"Amexicano" is the sort of 'indy' film that often heralds a brilliant directing future ... until success spoils everything that was fresh and true in independence. The script is totally non-formulaic, and the acting is good enough to make it work. The portrayal of livelihoods on the wrong side of immigration papers is totally unglamorized and honest. The climactic border crossing, on foot across the desert, represents a horror that truly does occur day after day; it's compressed in time a little too tightly to be realistic. But it doesn't need to be realistic to be "real." It just needs to be felt.

The core of the film is the unexpected development of trust and friendship between a pathetic sloppy jobless third-generation Italian-American from Queens, whose contractor buddy nudges him into day work, and an appealing young Mexican guy, illegal but hard-working, ready to love America if it will love him. There's also a young Mexican woman, who turns out not to be what she seems, but it's the tale of friendship that will touch your heart and conscience, if you have one.

It's not a big film, or a major film in any way, but it's extremely touching.

This movie could not have been better. Jennifer Peña looks really sexy, no doubt about it, plus her acting is great. You will definetly enjoy watching it, one thing is for sure, you will experience what many families experience because of immigration. The pain of losing a family member, the struggle to survive, the risks a person takes for trying to find a better job and live a better life. The Italian-American (who i think didnt like immigrants in the begining) learns that the neighbors you didnt want close to you could actually become your bestest friend and help you out when your in need.

I really recommend this movie to people who love movies that send a great message and help you to become a better person, learn to love everybody no matter the race, color, or place of birth. We are all God's children.

Enjoy the movie.

Michael Moreno Alfaro.