Film on Immigrant Saga Wins at Sundance

The searing immigrant saga “Padre Nuestro,” about a Mexican teen’s heartbreaking search for his father in America, won the grand-jury prize for best U.S. drama Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival. (Click here for the CNN report).

Here is a description of the film from the Sundance website (here):

Fleeing a pack of henchman on the Mexican side of the border, Juan hops a truck transporting illegals from Mexico to New York City. En route he befriends Pedro, an innocent from central Mexico who is headed to New York to seek his rich restaurateur father, Diego. Pedro shows Juan a sealed letter that his mother, now dead, has given him–an introduction to the father he never knew. When the truck pulls into New York City, Pedro wakes to find both his belongings and his new friend gone without a trace. He is cast onto the street and stumbles around, lost in an unknown city. Juan, meanwhile, shows up at Diego’s door with the letter, claiming to be his long-lost son, Pedro. Padre Nuestro, Christopher Zalla’s smartly scripted first feature, is an exhilarating dog-eat-dog thriller brimming with style and exceptional performances. A provocative tale of stolen identity and fate, Padre Nuestro is also an insightful examination of the human longing to be loved.— Shari Frilot

KJ