Synopsis
Brother and sister Enrique and Rosa flee persecution at home in Guatemala and journey north, through Mexico and on to the United States, with the dream of starting a new life. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with the Getty Foundation in 2017.
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Cast
- Zaide Silvia GutiérrezRosa
- David VillalpandoEnrique
- Ernesto Gómez CruzArturo
- Lupe OntiverosNacha
- Trinidad SilvaMonte
- Alicia del LagoLupe
- Mike GomezInformer
- Jose Martin RuanoForeman
- Stella QuanJosefita
- Heraclio ZepedaPedro
Recommendations
- 100
TV Guide Magazine
An effective and moving drama about the strength of the human spirit and the will to survive. - 100
Chicago Sun-Times
This is the first film to approach the subject of "undocumented workers" solely through their eyes. This is not one of those docudramas where we half-expect a test at the end, but a film like "The Grapes of Wrath" that gets inside the hearts of its characters and lives with them. - 90
The New York Times
A small, personal, independently made film with the sweep of El Norte, with solid, sympathetic performances by unknown actors and a visual style of astonishing vibrancy, must be regarded as a remarkable accomplishment. [11 Jan 1984, p.15] - 83
Christian Science Monitor
Although the film's Guatemalan and Mexican portions include much effective storytelling, the long American episode is the most stirring. - 80
Time Out
Traditional immigrant films from Hollywood (The Godfather?) end in fame, money and beautiful women for the inheritors of the new found land's promise; but El Norte gives us a vision of the downside of the American dream. The film's concentration on the plight of its young hopefuls, however, is done with much humour and compassion, so that the tragedy of its message is very bracing. - 75
Miami Herald
When it comes time to paint a view of Southern California from the perspective of outsiders looking in and expecting miracles, Nava's touch is marvelously sure, the satirical edge all covered in chrome. Nava's is the kind of talent that a low budget cannot hide. [30 Mar 1984, p.D6] - 70
Variety
Comes across as a kind of giant Renaissance canvas. - 70
The New York Times
Not exactly a great film, but it's a very good one that, through the devices of fiction, manages to provoke a number of healthily contradictory feelings about the world we all inhabit at the moment.
