La Americana

Nicholas Bruckman's affecting documentary takes an intensely personal look at U.S. immigration policy, focusing on the experiences of one woman to convey both the aspirations and the hardships of undocumented workers. The spotlight is on Carmen, a Bolivian woman who illegally enters the country after her nine-year old daughter Carla is seriously injured and requires expensive medical treatment and extended therapy. Her goal is to save enough money to finance Carla's medical needs, but six years of multiple jobs in New York City leave her far short. A poignant narrative thread finds Carmen anxiously hoping for a change in immigration law that would allow her the opportunity to visit Bolivia to see Carla and then return. When reform efforts fail, Carmen decides to go home anyway, just in time to celebrate Carla's 15th birthday, but without the savings she'd hoped to bring. Much of La Americana consists of the personable and articulate Carmen describing her experiences directly to the audience, but there's also ample footage of her life in New York, and the final chapters illustrate the mingled joy and sorrow in her reunion with her daughter, coupled with the realization that she won't be able to give Carla all the help she needs. One of the most powerful sequences in this timely documentary follows Carmen to the Statue of Liberty, where she notes that its promise of shelter to immigrants no longer holds true, adding that the term “American” should be applied not just to citizens of the United States, but to all the inhabitants of North, Central, and South America. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)