El Norte [Special Edition] [WS] [Blu-ray] [Criterion Collection]

Director: Gregory Nava Gregory Nava

Overview

El Norte is a realistic picture of both the Guatemalan government's oppression of the Quiche Indians and the hard life of illegal immigrants in the United States. After the Guatemalan army destroys their village of San Pedro, two teenage Quiche Mayan Indian siblings journey north (hence El Norte) through Mexico to the United States to start a new life. The film opens with the destruction of the village and the peasants' pointless appeals to the authorities for justice. Realizing that the government is seizing their land, Enrique and Rosa make the difficult decision to leave their people behind. As they journey through Mexico, the siblings encounter a number of helpful individuals who direct them towards the U.S./Mexican border. There they find a "coyote" (a professional human smuggler) and make the frightening run across border. Once across, Enrique and Rosa are introduced to the impossible realities of life as an illegal immigrant in Los Angeles. Living in constant fear of deportation, they struggle to survive as they are exploited by a series of employers. Eventually, their luck takes a turn for the better when the manager of their motel offers Enrique a job.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/20/2009
UPC:	0715515035125
Original Release:	1983
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	2:20:00
Sales rank:	10,810

Special Features

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Gregory Nava, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack; New audio commentary featuring Nava; In the Service of Shadows: The Making of "El Norte"; The Journal of Diego Rodriguez Silva; Gallery of Chiapas location-scouting photographs; Theatrical trailer; New and improved English subtitle translation; Plus: A booklet featuring a new essay by novelist Héctor Tobar and critic Roger Ebert's 1983 review

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

David Villalpando	Enrique Xuncax
Zaide Silvia Gutierrez	Rosa Xuncax
Ernesto Gomez Cruz	Arturo Xuncax
Alicia Del Lago	Lupe Xuncax
Eraclio Zepeda	Pedro
Stella Quan	Josefita
Rodrigo Puebla	Puma
Trinidad Silva	Monty
Abel Franco	Raimundo
Mike Gomez	Jaime
Lupe Ontiveros	Nacha
John Martin	Ed,Ed
Ronald Joseph	Joel,Joel
Larry Cedar	Bruce
Sheryl Bernstein	Karen
Gregory Enton	Len
Tony Plana	Carlos
Enrique Castillo	Jorge
Emilio del Haro	Truck Driver
Diane Civita	Alice
Jorge Moreno	Man in Bus
Rodolfo Aleiandre	Ramon

Technical Credits

Gregory Nava

Anna Thomas

Gregory Nava	Director,Screenwriter
Anna Thomas	Producer,Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

While any number of films have been made about plucky immigrants who come to the United States, few possess the plain-spoken honesty and simple emotional power of Gregory Nava's El Norte, at once a moving testimony to the thirst for freedom and a sobering look at the tragic consequences that the search for a better life can sometimes bring. Director Nava draws strikingly naturalistic performances from his entire cast (especially Zaide Silvia Gutierrez and David Villalpando), and his eloquently straightforward narrative style tells this story with few frills but a remarkable emotional impact. Blending humor, drama, suspense, and eventually tragedy, there are few films that say more about what America truly means than El Norte, which shows (for good and ill) how important this country is to those who left the land of their birth to live in this nation of immigrants.

All Movie Guide - Mark Deming