Carlos Galindo works as a gardener in Los Angeles with his partner, Blasco. His son, Luis, studies at high school. Luis spends time with his girlfriend, who is affiliated with gang members. The gang members pressure him to join them. On one occasion Luis is suspended for having assaulted another high school student. Carlos' sister, Anita, lends $12,000 from the family's emergency fund for Carlos to buy Blasco's truck. It is later stolen by Santiago, whom Carlos hired. The next day, Carlos and Luis head to the South Centralapartment complex, which is used as lodgings for undocumented immigrant workers. One man tells the two that Santiago works as a nightclub dishwasher. Carlos and Luis head to the restaurant, which would open during the night. At the rodeo, Carlos mentions to Luis about his mother abandoning them. Luis mentions that he dislikes Mexican music and culture. After finding Santiago at the nightclub, Carlos and Luis interrogate him in the parking lot. They learn that he has sold the truck to the garage and sent the money to his family in El Salvador. When Santiago pleads not guilty, Luis becomes upset with Carlos for defending him, and leaves. The next day, Carlos convinces Luis to go with him to the place where Santiago had sold the truck. After they successfully retrieve the truck, they are stopped by the police. Carlos is arrested and incarcerated as an illegal American immigrant. Luis visits the detention center, and reconciles with his father. After promising Luis that he will return, Carlos boards the deportation bus. 'Four Months Later...' Luis is shown spending time with Anita and her family Meanwhile, Carlos and other migrants are shown traveling through the desert on foot. They are being led by a 'coyote' smuggler, presumably northward.
The film is uncommon among Hollywood productions as it is set in a Hispanic community and features an almost entirely Hispanic cast. Weitz used the film to explore the culture and geography of Los Angeles. Father Gregory Boyle of Homeboy Industries, run by former gang members, helped Weitz and his crew with finding locations and making their film as authentic as possible. The language of the script was modified to reflect the actual slang used in Los Angeles, even reflecting linguistic differences from street to street.
Release
The film was released on June 24, 2011.
Critical reception
Critical response to A Better Life has been positive. The film has garnered an 86% "fresh" rating from Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus reads: "Powered by a terrific performance from Demián Bichir, A Better Life is an immigrant story told with simplicity and an ample amount of heart." The critical aggregator Metacritic awarded the film a score of 64 out of 100, signifying "generally positive reviews". Manohla Dargis, film critic for The New York Times, called the film "Touching and startling." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called the film "a haunting movie that gets under your skin." Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Dave Karger called A Better Life an "unfussy, yet quite powerful drama with a terrific central performance by Demián Bichir." Karger called the film an "awards contender" and wrote, "With the right reviews and commercial reception, it could go even further." Roger Ebert, of the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote that "the performances are pitch perfect" and he gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4. The New Yorker critic Richard Brody wrote: "The story unfolds without hagiography, pity, or trumped-up heroism, as the filmmaker approaches the lives of everyday people with modest compassion and imaginative sympathy. Amy Biancolli, writing in the Houston Chronicle, said "It's straight, true and heartbreaking, a masterstroke of raw emotional minimalism".
