Demian Bichir (most recognized in America for his role as ruthless and corrupt Tijuana mayor Esteban Reyes in the Emmy Award Nominee Showtime series Weeds) is an undocumented Mexican immigrant named Carlos who works as a day worker, landscaping the yards of large yards in the affluent Los Angeles neighborhoods. He migrated from Mexico some 16 years ago after marrying. His 15-year-old son Luis (Jose Julian) is everything to him after his wife left him to experience a more exciting life in America that Carlos could not provide. A Better Life is exactly what its title suggests: a father trying to give himself and his son a better life.

In Chris Wetiz’s (About a Boy, American Pie) film, Carlos is forced to keep a low profile and his nose clean. He has strong values, and his love for his son is evident, even if his ability to parent the teenager is questioned. Luis hasn’t yet joined a local gang, but it seems inevitable that this will be a part of his future. His best friend keeps telling Luis that it is time. Luis has not said yes or no but has come up with excuses for delaying his decision. Luis is a friendly enough kid but misses school whenever he wants and believes his father isn’t a big enough man to enforce discipline.

Carlos works for a friend named Blasco, who owns his own landscape truck and all the work he can bring with his vehicle. But change is on the horizon as Blasco has achieved his goal of earning enough money to return to Mexico and continue his life. Blasco wants Carlos to buy his business from him. This would include inheriting Blasco’s truck, all of Blasco’s tools, and his client list. While Carlos knows this will allow him to earn much more money than he currently has, he does not have a driver’s license, and even getting pulled over by the police would mean automatic deportation. However, without Blasco, Carlos will be forced to stand on a local street corner, hoping to be selected as a day laborer. But finding work every day will no longer be guaranteed.

Carlos does secure his truck, but an unfortunate event requires Carlos and Luis to go on a little mission through Los Angeles together. I could say more, but telling the exact conflict might be too bad for you to see the movie. Without saying exactly what happens, I can confidently say that whatever the problem is, it doesn’t matter. What is more important and what is worth the watch is the interaction between father and son. Luis sees his father differently and begins to understand just everything his father has done to provide for him.

The movie is worth the watch to see Bichir’s performance. I had only his Esteban Reyes Weeds‘ character to compare his performance in this movie against, and I honestly couldn’t believe I saw the same actor. This was the first time I had seen Bichir on screen until after the film, and I began researching for my review. Regardless of your interest in the story, I would see this movie just for the performance of its lead actor. Bichir is very deserving of his Best Actor Academy Award nomination. While he is a dark horse at best to beat out the two favorites (Jean Dujardin – The Artist and George Clooney – The Descendants), more bizarre things have happened. I hope Bichir gets more roles that can continue to show his range as an actor. I was disappointed that Michael Shannon was not nominated for the award for his role in Take Shelter, but I wouldn’t have substituted Shannon for Bichir. I would have had Dejardin, Clooney, Bichir, Shannon, and Brad Pitt (Moneyball) while leaving out Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 8/10 (Bichir is top-notch and deserving of his Academy Award nomination…the rest of the acting is decent, but not great)
Screenplay 9/10
Directing  9/10
Cinematography 9/10
Sound 8.5/10
Hook and Reel 9/10 (Hooked me, but it probably had a lot to do with me knowing a little something about the movie going in)
Universal Relevance 10/10 (We can all relate. This will hit home a lot closer to some than it will to others)
89.5%

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