The better life desired by Carlos (Demián Bichir) is to own a truck and improve his chances of success as (an illegal) Mexican gardener in L.A. His son (José Julián) has difficult teen moods and is of little help. Director Chris Weitz keeps it straight and simple, yet always credible, well acted, rooted in the teeming underbelly of a city that would often prefer to look away (or call the cops). Bichir anchors this pride platform without using rhetoric, and the story’s appeal is rooted in a timely, and timeless, humanism. (2011) — David Elliott
This movie is not currently in theaters.