Promise and Unrest

Filmmakers Alan Grossman and Áine O'Brien spent five years following the lives of Noemi Barredo and her daughter, Gracelle, on an odyssey that stretched from the Philippines to Ireland. Noemi was among the thousands of Filipinas who left their country in order to secure overseas work that would (in concept) help support their families. Noemi emigrated when Gracelle was seven months old, relocating to Dublin, where she found a job as a caregiver to infirm elderly patients. Gracelle barely knew her mother while growing up, except for Noemi's annual visits home. For her part, Noemi never truly assimilated into Dublin's society; she is mostly seen here with fellow Filipinas or in caregiver training with other immigrant women. Years later, Gracelle travels to Ireland to join her mother, but soon becomes uncomfortable living in a cramped apartment. Dublin's expensive cost of living and Irish work permit policies also create a strain on mother and daughter. Noemi and Gracelle narrate their stories, which are fraught with emotional hardships, in this affecting documentary that also provides an interesting view of contemporary Dublin, where a multi-racial population has significantly redefined the city's demographics and workforce. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)