The Precocious and Brief Life of Sabina Rivas

"To dream of the american dream is easy, but it is difficult to cross Mexico."

2012 1h 55m ES

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 129

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the Mexican-Guatemalan border, young teenage lovers, Sabina and Jovany, both Hondurans, accidentally meet again after some years without seeing each other. She plans to get to the United States and dreams about being a great singer; he commits all the required atrocities to be accepted by the gang: la Mara Salvatrucha. Sabina and Jovany crashed with the most adverse conditions at the border like white slavery, the Mexican and American migratory agents Burrona and Patrick, the brothel matron Doña Lita, Don Nico the Mexican Consul in Tecún Umán, the drug trafficking networks, the army and la Mara Salvatrucha.

“To dream of the american dream is easy, but it is difficult to cross Mexico.”

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Cast

Greisy Mena
Sabina Rivas
Joaquín Cosío
Burrona
Fernando Moreno
Jovany
Angelina Peláez
Doña Lita
Tenoch Huerta Mejía
Juan
Beto Benitez
Tata Añorve
Nick Chinlund
Patrick
Mario Zaragoza
Sarabia

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Luis Mandoki
Writers: Diana Cardozo
Languages: Spanish
Countries: Mexico

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 52% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Luis Mandoki, shot by Damián García. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mariana Rodríguez shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Greisy Mena and Joaquín Cosío and Fernando Moreno carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "To dream of the american dream is easy, but it is difficult to cross Mexico.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt2062575 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Luis Mandoki directs. Damián García behind the camera. Mariana Rodríguez cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Mexico. Dialogue in Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 52% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 14 years ago.
4Directed by Luis Mandoki, shot by Damián García. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Mariana Rodríguez shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Greisy Mena and Joaquín Cosío and Fernando Moreno carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "To dream of the american dream is easy, but it is difficult to cross Mexico.".
8IMDB entry: tt2062575 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.