Illegal

This harrowing, smart, and sharp drama revolves around several characters whose yearning for a better life leads to illegal immigration and drug-running into the United States. Maribel (Shirley Rumierk) is a Juarez waitress whose hard-won business degree has earned her a job offer in the U.S. When her son suddenly requires a medical specialist, her timetable moves up and she is forced to enter Texas via the Rio Grande. Ariel (Luis Bordonada) is an illegal immigrant and day-laborer in New Mexico who reluctantly agrees to drive a truck for a gang of cocaine traffickers and coyotes (i.e., escorts for Mexicans who are running the border)—ultimately becoming one of them. His boss, Arturo (Omar Leyva), is a coyote but also a decent man who is captured by America's Homeland Security and pressured to make a deal. And Chuy (J. Salome Martinez Jr.) is a seemingly callous coyote who grows more human—and vulnerable—while helping Maribel in her cause. This tightly woven tale, nicely directed by Ric Dupont, pulls all of these narrative threads together in a big-picture view of different sides of the immigration experience. A deeply felt, illuminating, and timely film that never preaches to the audience, this is recommended. (T. Keogh)