A Better Life

This indie-looking film with a studio sensibility presents an emotional portrait of a good man who is also an illegal immigrant.  Demian Bichir brings real warmth and humanity to Carlos Galindo, a role that is a little too saintly as written.  A Better Life is an “issue movie” that plays like a character study, due to how simply the events unfold and how we get to see the world through the eyes of Bichir's quiet laborer, father, and man of dignity. The inciting incident echoes The Bicycle Thief in a clever way that makes the central dilemma of the film far more complex than it appears to be on the surface.  The narrative structure is uncomplicated and as the excellent cast takes us from beat to beat, the film humanizes and gives dimension to our current simple-minded national conversation about immigration policy.