Can anybody recommend a good movie about immigration?

Cafe Society
1

I’m asking for a friend who teaches an immigration law class.

Can anybody think of a movie that’s

-set in America
-relatively modern day (1970s to present let’s say)
-deals with immigration issues
-has decent legal accuracy

I’m trying to stay away from Green Card or other romantic comedies about a citizen:immigrant marriage of convenience UNLESS they deal realistically with immigration law. (I freely admit I wouldn’t have a clue how realistic such a movie would be in terms of immigration law; I don’t even know if marrying an American citizen will really keep you from getting deported.)

Thanks for any suggestions.

2

Maybe not what you’re looking for (not a lot of knotty legal issues), but In America is an awesome movie about an Irish family who moved to New York. Set in the Nineties, I believe.

3

Bread and Roses, maybe?

4

The Visitor (2008) was pretty good, definitely not sugar-coated, and I don’t remember Eva screaming at any inaccuracies when we watched it.

5

*My Family *(Mi Familia) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113896/

6

Has anybody seen Crossing Over?

7

I haven’t seen it, but I think La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon) was popular with critics. It came out in 2007.

8

Machete, a sensitive and in-depth look at the issue.

9

I recall watching a film called El Norte back in eighth grade that dealt with illegal immigration. I remember being very impressed with it at the age of fourteen, but I don’t know if it’s held up since then. I dint think it dealt much with the legal aspects, though, as the protagonists were doing their best to avoid the law.

10

Lone Star is an excellent movie about the Border. Not that many legal details are discussed (immigration law, that is)–but it’s really a fine movie.

11

It’s also towards the early end of the OP’s request - 80s or so I guess.

12

This is the movie I’d suggest too - I saw it in one of my early Spanish classes. It’s in Spanish with English subtitles, ftr.

13

Born in East LA is from 1987, so maybe too old. It’s also done as a comedy.

14

U.S. Citizens are allowed to petition for a green card for alien spouses, so yes, marrying an American citizen can prevent you from being deported. It’s not exactly a quick fix, considering that it may take years to be granted legal permanent residency, and you have to prove the marriage was ‘‘in good faith’’ - but the basic premise is valid.

15

The Border – early 1980s, Jack Nicholson stars in it? Got nothing else, and it probably isn’t legal-ish enough.

16

Thanks for the recs- I’m going to recommend El Norte and may check out that Crossing Over movie myself.

17

Moscow on the Hudson - Robin Williams as a Soviet defector in New York.

Maria Full of Grace - More about drug smuggling, but has an (illegal) immigration component.
IIRC, however, neither has strong immigration law components.

18

Fast Food Nation is a watchable but flawed adaptation of a treatise on the meat industry in the US. Both the film and the book feature illegal migration into the US as major parts.

19

El Norte is the first movie that popped into my mind, too. We took a field trip in HS with my Spanish class, and it’s still engraved on my brain.

20

This was the one I was going to recommend, too. I loved this film, although it kinda made me want to go stick my head in a oven with the pilot light off.