America; I Too

Featuring Academy Award nominee Barkhad Abdi playing an undocumented Somalian, this short dramatization concentrates on three illegal immigrants, all of whom are arrested and detained in the same facility. In addition to Abdi portraying pizza deliverer Ahmed, Jose Diaz costars as 18-year-old Manny and Linda Yim takes on the role of Korean immigrant Myeong. Manny is arrested while working on an outdoor mural that he has been hired to paint. Both Ahmed and Myeong are apprehended during a surprise immigration raid at a garment factory where Myeong works and Ahmed is making a food delivery. The drama skips around to show the experiences of the three main characters and reveal how each delays or avoids deportation through various legal channels. Manny follows his mother’s directives that if arrested, he has the right to remain silent, should seek legal counsel, and refrain from signing deportation documents. Because Myeong cares for a granddaughter with autism, she is eventually released on the stipulation that she wear an uncomfortable ankle monitor. And while in detention, Manny steers Ahmed to an immigration attorney. Based on actual testimonies and experiences, writer-director Anike Tourse’s credible short drama successfully explores some of the complex issues regarding the constitutional rights of immigrants. Featuring closed captioning in Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Vietnamese, and Brazilian-Portuguese—ensuring accessibility for a wide audience—this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Beauregard)