Immigration Classic “El Norte” is 25!

Gregory Nava’s “El Norte” opened in U.S. theaters 25 years ago.  In 1984, refugees from Central American countries fled civil wars.  Their treatment — largely detention and deportation — by the United States provoked the original “sanctuary movement” and got a generation of people, like, me, interested in immigration.

Nava’s $750,000 independent movie tells thr poignant story of a Guatemalan brother and sister’s harrowing odyssey to the United States and their struggles in adapting to their new life in Los Angeles.  Here is the basic story line:  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. El Norte is a story of hope and survival, which critic Roger Ebert called a Grapes of Wrath for our time.

Here is a link to the 25th anniversary collector’s ediition.

KJ