PBS: The New Americans

Cafe Society
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I was a bit surprised to see that no one had started a thread on this wonderful PBS/Independent Lens show, The New Americans.

Made by some of the folks who brought you Hoop Dreams, the series chronicles the lives of several immigrants (over a period of four years) as they struggle to leave their homelands and come to the US. What amazed me was the detail and intimacy the filmmakers captured – some of the stories are touching and heartbreaking, some are quite uplifting; all of them illustrate the pain and difficulties encountered in moving to a new world, and the incredible hard work these immigrants are willing to do just for a chance at something better.

I hope a lot of people saw this – or will see this – exceptional series. It might just change your view on some of the issues of American immigration.

Anyone else see it and care to comment?

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I really enjoyed it. My favorite storyline was the one with the Palestinians Naima and Hatem. I think one of the biggest eye-openers for me, was the differences in culture I was aware of, but not the nuances involved. Naima’s nana was so intent upon her staying covered and singing songs about having lot’s of children, “first a boy…”, etc. It sounded horrible on the surface. Underneath, I could see the caring and her acceptance of Naima and her decisions, regardless of whether she agreed with them or not. I also liked being able to sit in their living room during the 9/11 disaster, and see what was happening from their viewpoint.

I thought, when I read threads about Palestinians and Israelis, I wasn’t biased, but I think I had an easier time relating to the Israelis. When I watched nana showing her picture of her house, and heard how she had to leave everything behind, even loose cash, it just brought their situation home. I was impressed with her blaming both sides, “God curse both of their fathers,” rather than saying how evil the other side was. Also, the conversation in Palestine, with one of the men saying how he fought, but that wasn’t what he had fought for, and that he just wanted out, it wasn’t worth it any longer. Then the other friend’s suicide. Very sad, but I’m glad I watched.

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I was going to start a thread on this show, but you beat me to it!

My favorite story was the one about the Flores family from Mexico. By the time the show was over, I absolutely hated the wife for forcing her family to move from the small Kansas town where they lived in a house and were all doing so well (and where the oldest daughter could attend school, even though she was already 18) to California, where the oldest daughter had to drop out of night school and work the fields with her parents and where they shared a single-wide trailer with her sister’s family - 15 people in one tiny trailer for a year.

I mean, I understand missing your relatives, but the town in Kansas where they had previously lived had a large Mexican population, so it wasn’t like she had no one to talk to. She just struck me as being a scared, selfish person. :frowning:

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I agree with tsarina; I thought Ventura Flores was selfish and a chronic malcontent, and that ended up having really tragic consequences for her daughter Nora, who I really liked. Although the show focused more on Nora, according to the PBS website, at least one other daughter also wasn’t allowed to attend high school in California (it says “their older children are not allowed to attend high school”).

I was fascinated by the series and thought that it gave a really vivid picture of what it’s like to leave your country for new one. I liked that they included people who were immigrating for a variety of reasons, some fleeing bad situations in their own countries and others seeking opportunities in the U.S.

Still, some of their experiences were the same – how heartwrenching it is to leave loved ones behind, and how disorienting it is to be someplace where everything is new and alien to you and you don’t understand how anything works. I also liked that the series followed the people for years so that you could see the progress they were making as they began to adjust to the culture and the language.

There were other sad stories besides the Flores family’s. I thought it was heartbreaking to watch Israel Nwidor’s cheerful, optimistic spirit get crushed. At the beginning, even though it was scary to hear him in the refugee camp saying that he’d heard that there was no racism in America, or at least not in the North, I really did think that his happy, hopeful nature would be an asset that would make him more resilient than his countrywoman Barine (the activist’s sister), who seemed kind of whiny when she first got to America and wasn’t treated like royalty the way she had been in Nigeria. In the end, though, Barine seemed to be doing better than Israel, although to be fair, his beloved older brother had just died as the documentary was ending.

I also thought it was sad when Naima, the Palestinian, said that she didn’t want to be an American and that she felt no loyalty to this country – and with good reason, with the anti-Arab stuff that was going on at the time she said that – and I also felt sorry for her because I thought Hatem was kind of a blowhard and a jerk. She totally cracked me up when he was teaching her to drive and after he yelled rudely at her to “STOP!” he said that she had to be prepared to stop in case a kid ran out in front of the car and she said “How about if you get in the front of the car and I’ll see if I can stop!” It was also horrible when someone torched the Arab-American center; as much as I disliked Hatem, I felt really bad for him then.

I think the only really happy ending was for Ricardo Rodriguez, the Dominican pitcher who made it to the big leagues (he plays for the Texas Rangers now). He was very sweet, so it was nice to see him succeed. I guess Barine was doing okay by the end too, having bought a house and seen her daughters graduate from high school and go off to college.

Still, as depressing as parts of it were, I’m glad I watched this show and would definitely recommend it.

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Hey all, thanks for posting! Still hoping more people saw it/will see it, but oh well…

My favorite was also the Naima story, though I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe because of the emotions involved; maybe because of how quietly, internally difficult it seemed for her. I was amazed at the transformation Hatem went through, going from an outsider living at home with his parents to a serious man who was dedicated to his cause. Sadly, it seems that their marriage may become another casuality of his fight; I felt sorry for her, but again, her character seems to be one which could survive anything. And I too loved her wicked sense of humor.

The Indian story was another tough one – he seemed so in love with his wife and child, yet almost blind to some of their emotional needs, while focussing only on the financial ones.

And I too found myself angered by the Mexican matriarch. All of the family had wonderful goals and dreams, yet it seemed that only her needs were important. So frustrating.

(Btw, I used “seemed” a lot here, cause I think that for me, it’s important to note that these are our impressions of their lives; despite the breadth and depth of this film, it’s really impossible to know all of what is happening. I’d love a follow-up, with interviews and one-on-one candids in reaction to the film.)

Also, I called PBS and the tapes are 75 bucks plus shipping, which I found pretty damn steep. I assume they’re aiming for schools and such…and probably need to cover the many costs, but I think they’d sell heaps more if they were 30 bucks. Maybe I’m just being a cheapo…

Anyway, as I said in the first post, one of the most inspiring things for me was the determination and hard work these folks exhibited – just for a chance, a long shot, to come to America and make their dreams come true. It made me think just how much I take my own “birthright” for granted…and how we should all look to their struggle as inspiration for our own.