A Better Life

"Every father wants more for his son."

2011 1h 38m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 291

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An Indigenous Latino American gardener in East L.A. struggles to keep his son away from gangs and immigration agents while traveling across town to perform landscaping work for the city's wealthy landowners.

“Every father wants more for his son.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Demián Bichir
Carlos Riquelme
José Julián
Luis Galindo
Chelsea Rendon
Ruthie Valdez
Dolores Heredia
Anita
Joaquín Cosío
Blasco Martinez
Carlos Linares
Santiago
Bobby Soto
Facundo
Nancy Lenehan
Mrs. Donnely

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Chris Weitz
Writers: Eric Eason, Roger L. Simon
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

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

Earned back only 18% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Chris Weitz, shot by Javier Aguirresarobe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alexandre Desplat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Demián Bichir and José Julián and Chelsea Rendon carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Every father wants more for his son.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Chris Weitz directs. Javier Aguirresarobe behind the camera. Alexandre Desplat scores. Peter Lambert cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 18% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 15 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Directed by Chris Weitz, shot by Javier Aguirresarobe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alexandre Desplat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Peter Lambert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Demián Bichir and José Julián and Chelsea Rendon carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Every father wants more for his son.".
9IMDB entry: tt1554091 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Javier Aguirresarobe
Original score: Alexandre Desplat
Editing: Peter Lambert
Production design: Missy Stewart
Costume design: Elaine Montalvo
VFX supervisor: Dottie Starling
Stunt coordinator: Trampas Thompson
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $1,800,000
Return: 18% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: A Better Life (2011)

Also by

Chris Weitz

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Filipe Manuel Neto2022-07-16
★ 6/10
A good story, in which the search for a stolen van is linked to the recovery of a father's relationship with his teenage son. For many people, the USA is a land of dreams, of opportunities, where they dream to go, in order to free themselves from the harshness of their lives and the lack of conditions in their own countries. The same is true here, with Europe, and very particularly with Germany. Portugal, my country, is also very popular, but it is a country where most people simply pass on their way to the “promised land”. Personally, I have nothing against these migratory flows. The truth is that we will need this workforce to compensate for the lack of births in our countries and also the lack of workers for simpler services, which we, with our academic degrees, tend not to do. These are people we must welcome, although this should not prevent us from implementing rules, policing borders and demanding that reasonable requirements be met, whether for granting visas or obtaining citizenship. The film that I am discussing today is precisely the story of an illegal Mexican immigrant who crossed the border and settled in California with his teenage son. He buys a van to establish himself as a home gardener, but ends up seeing it stolen by another immigrant who had tried to help, and it is up to him alone to try to recover it, as he could never go to the authorities without ending up. stuck. The search for the stolen van will, on the other hand, allow a closer relationship between father and son, at a very sensitive moment when the young man seemed quite seduced by Hispanic gangs and by a life associated with crime and the underworld. Clearly inspired by Bicycle Thieves, a classic of Italian cinema, the plot is good and touching, it has a dose of emotion that proved to be very positive, and the characters are credible and worthy of our compassion. The two main roles in this small but well-executed family drama are played by two Hispanic actors, Demián Bichir and José Julián. I don't know any of them, but I think they both managed to get away from the challenges they faced quite well, and it could even be said that Bichir shone, with his serious, slightly emotional and authentic performance. Moreover, the actor even deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. The cinematography, sets and costumes are quite regular, with no major particularities or aspects worth noting. The visual and sound effects used are good, and quite discreet, working quite well. It's a film that doesn't technically stand out, in order to leave us fully involved in the story it tells us.

Production companies