WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The simple yearning for a place to call home. It seems like such a basic, straightforward desire, and one that shouldn’t honestly be that evasive to come by. Yet, as an immigrant, when it involves the freedoms offered by finding residence in America, the lingering questions of what exactly it IS to BE considered a part of it, much less a citizen and being able to maintain one’s status while also attempting to hold onto family–it is an entirely different world. Such is the plight of a young mother, Deisi (Kaylene Crespo), her 5-yo son Kev (Jordan Argol) she’s now left behind due to an unforeseen incident, and a man named Enzo (Wilmer Puerto) forced to be a de facto father figure whose worlds have now collided in separate ways yet in one unified struggle for survival.
Next, my Mind:
There is the undeniable truth that ongoing debates surrounding immigration to the United States continue to grow at a sometimes seemingly endless and exponential rate, even as the concepts of “The Wall”, so-dubbed “Sanctuary Cities”, and the foundational premise of precisely what actions to take or not to take when it comes more specifically to the number of illegal immigrants crossing the border anchor so much of people’s opinions regarding the entire affair. Yet, in the midst of political chaos and a divided, polarized populace striving against each other when it comes to how we should handle it, what gets no consistently valid amount of consideration is the sheer, overwhelming toll this takes on those directly impacted the most by it–the immigrants themselves. THIS cornerstone notion forms a grander, primary focus showcased through the 15-minute Oscar-qualifying short film effort from writer/director/producer/editor Nesaru Tchaas, producers Luis Alfonso De la Parra and Katie Schiller, plus executive producers Pierre Hauser, Eliza Factor, Michael Hirschhorn, Jimena Martinez, and Gardenia Sarazin that paints a quietly intense, fervently affecting portrait of what it is to BE in such a place and position, the cost of which can be heartbreaking.
Told from the perspective of one young mother, her 5-year-old son she’s unexpectedly separated from thanks to an equally unanticipated ICE raid, and the solitary man who finds himself a fill-in dad, the narrative unfolds with compelling simplicity and unwavering potency with a mixture of purposeful dialogue accompanied by even more prevalent visuals that utilize their imagery to push home the film’s tangible atmosphere of separation, desperation, uncertainty, and longing for a deeply needed reuniting with persuasive but intentionally subdued ease that immerses the viewer in the situations depicted quite beautifully. The themes above are also paired with other more subtle or briefly explored ideas like the “not wanting to go back”/threat of deportation, missing family still left in home countries and the efforts being made to try and bring them to the States, and having to try finding shelter or employment while still remaining “under the radar”, avoiding existing policies that could undermine any sense of being truly settled.
This all gets illustrated to some degree here, and deservedly so because this critic didn’t remotely take the film as some embittered diatribe in itself that’s meant to incite any undue hostility towards our nation or the topics portrayed as much as aiming instead to be a still unflinching, highly awareness-raising, calmly forceful, educational exposé thrust to the forefront, placing that needed HUMAN side to the immigration issue, allowing us to take in what it is actually like to be ON the other side of these instances where suddenly one finds themselves apart from that or those which they love the most, and the subsequent ripple effects it can have. BUT, also contained within it–the spark of HOPE which can only come from a community of people, for the most part, totally “in it” together and watching out for one another, just wishing to legitimately have an opportunity to create a new life for themselves and their own. Does there still need to be certain safeguards and practical regulations/controls in place, yes. However, ideally, accomplished without it being at the cost of not doing what is right and beneficial for our fellow men, women, and children, regardless of where they hail from.
Maybe one of the most uniquely excellent facets of this film is the cast, which, as the press release about it highlighted, is made up of “first time immigrant actors cast on the street who are themselves the target of America’s immigration policies”. Can’t say enough about the fortitude, courage, and understatedly poignant, meaningful performances put forth here by each and every one involved, starting with Crespo’s wonderfully, muted yet impassioned turn as Deisi, a young mother who is only trying to make a living for herself and son until she’s gets swept up in a ICE raid and taken away, causing her immediate anxiety about the welfare of the child she now loves and longs for even more. Puerto shines as well, with the same magnitude of toned-down but still emotionally energetic performance as Enzo, a hard-working soul who rather abruptly realizes he has someone new to care for and protect as only a father would be inclined to do after circumstances leave him with a young boy now in his charge.
Argol is both charming and natural but also a picture of stirring innocence lost in his role as Kev, Deisi’s son who ends up in the apartment home of a man and his younger brother, the former having to end up taking actions to ensure Kev remains safe and free. Primary supporting roles arrive from Sonnei Garces as Omar, who is a catalyst for bringing Kev into he and Enzo’s circle, Nathan Simpson as the ICE Police second in command, Ian Elrick as the ICE Police first in command, Claudia Barrerio as the laundromat manager where Deisi works, and Jasper Burger as a boy who is witness to the ICE officers in his neighborhood. Additional appearances are made by Maria Valencia, Esmeralda Lozada, Marta Moreno, Francisco Cardenas, Daniel Aviles, Enrique Mijangos, Isabel Vilchis, Ulises Saldivar, Antonio Reyes, Antonio Reyes, Jr., Jose Olivera, Estrella Zamudio, Alejandro Montez, Raquel Rojano, Miguel Valdez, Fermin Ruiz, Antonio Rojas, Marisol Valladarez, Alex Pierce, Daniel Rylee Bush, Bryan Harlow Bintliff, and Georgia Hamford.
So, in total, “Some Still Search” adeptly acts as a sobering reality check about the real-life troubles of being an immigrant in the United States while also, especially, presenting itself as a tribute to the families who have been forcefully separated from their children and who strive to this day to reunite with them. As stated above, this is a HUMAN issue, and one that needs to be taken under better consideration, with more proactively positive and reasonable resolutions, so that ALL of us can find the means to enjoy the freedoms and chances this country has to offer while being able to, we hope, be readily seen once more as a place of refreshed, renewed, safe, secure, and UNIFIED dreams.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
