A Better Life

(Rating: 12A, 98 mins) Written by Zen Terrelonge

Starring –  Demián Bichir, José Julián, Eddie ‘Piolin’ Sotelo, Joaquín Cosio.

Set in a rough neighbourhood of East Los Angeles, you may expect guns firing and people strolling around in red and blue clobber (two of our finest primary colours) but you’d be mistaken – Bloods and Crips are just flies on the wall sticking to the South.

This story is set in a poor, Hispanic area and our two leads are father Carlos (Bichir) and his 14 year-old son Luis (Julian) who couldn’t be further apart, unless you know, if one of them were to fly to Australia or alternatively the Moon.

Carlos is a Mexican immigrant, chasing the American dream, he’s a hard worker and grafts all the hours he can under the burning sun in an attempt to do the best by his teenage offspring, although Luis doesn’t seem to realize this.

You never know what’s going to come next, with an obvious possibility of gang-life taking over Luis and his father occupied with work, the two seem like they’ll never reconnect.

As luck or a lack of would have it, that is exactly what happens.

When things take an unexpected turn and obstacles hit the tracks, the two work together and reminisce about times past.

In doing so the bond between a papa and his hijo begin to bubble to the surface.

In his first stint as director since The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Chris Weitz manages to give each person life and personality with ease.

No matter how small the role of the character, they’re all completely human and that’s what drives the film forward.

The storyline itself is pretty thin, but the performances that are offered are full of unmistakable fire particularly that of Bichir.

For every action there’s a reaction in this film – good, bad, lucky, unlucky, rich, poor, salt, pepper and it keeps on steaming in that same vein.

With a combination of Spanish (that portion comes equipped with subtitles) and English, this creates a feel of authenticity.

An in-depth look at how the dream of the USA can be a long an winding road for aliens (not the green, abducting kind), it’s a stern reminder that it doesn’t hurt to keep a lucky horseshoe or rabbit foot about your person.

I also feel obligated to make this clear – The story is a million miles away from Weitz former work within the world of Forks, Washington with zero appearances from Robert Pattinson or Taylor Lautner so please don’t expect a sudden cameo.

6/10

A Better Life is in cinemas from 29th July – View the trailer right here.