Crosstown (Miriam Kruishoop, 2013): USA

Reviewed by Reyes Munoz. Viewed at Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Metro 4 Theater.

Crosstown (2013) takes place a few years back during the Bush Administration’s war on terror. The main plot centers around a family of undocumented individuals from El Salvador who are struggling to make ends meet while desperately trying to obtain proper documentation. Living in a poverty stricken neighborhood full of gangs, Jesus sees no hope in his two younger kids reaching their full potential. His oldest son Beto, a high school student, is not only a gang member but also a drug dealer. One day Beto and his family are approached by US Army recruits who are interested in Beto. They tell him and his family members about the new possibilities of his them obtaining legal status if he serves in the military. With his family in full support of the idea, it appears the Army has made Beto an offer he can refuse. Facing pressure from his relatives, Beto decides to join the war on terror and come back a hero. Unfortunately this offer was too good to be true right from the start.

With his brother Beto away serving in the military, his younger brother Angel is faced with the hard task of joining the local gang against his brother’s wish in order to survive. Angel eventually get initiated into the gang, shaves his head, and tattoos his body with the gang’s many emblems. Eventually Jesus, Angel, and the rest of the family receive word that Beto was killed in battle. Saddened and outraged by the turn of events and the promise made to them by the Army, Jesus confronts the same recruits at a local high school. Unfortunately the recruits don’t seem to recognize Jesus and explain to him that they never made such offer as to giving his family legal status as that is up ti Immigration Services, not the US Army. Outraged,Jesus storms out of the high school. Later he goes on a late night walk with his son Angel when suddenly they get stopped by police. Angel begins to run as a police officer begins to chase after him. After Jesus refuses to be arrested, he wrestles with one cop and eventually knock him into the patrol car, causing him to hit his head and die while both Jesus and Angel flee the scene. Angel is forced to live as a fugitive on the run constantly hiding while he father flees to Guatemala. As for the rest of the family, they all eventually will face deportation.

Miriam Kruishoop’s Crosstown (2013) is a film that speaks my language. Taking place in an environment that is all too familiar to me, downtown Los Angeles, this film feels more like a documentary rather than just a motion picture, which is a good thing and refreshing. In my opinion, I havent seen a more accurate depiction of the downtown LA lifestyle since Training Day (2001) but even then Training Day did not tackle the hardships of immigration and discrimination that many illegal immigrants face in this side of town. Watching this film gave me sense of nostalgia as 90% of the film takes place in my neighborhood and its surrounding areas. After the credits rolled we had the opportunity to meet some of the cast and crew including director Miriam Kruishoop. I managed to raise my hand and ask her a few questions regarding research, interviews, and location scouting since the film felt so authentic. I wasn’t surprised when she said that she actually spent days in the surrounding neighborhoods and asking people about their current living situations. This all made sense especially considering that she cast individuals who were actually from the area as either extras or supporting roles. Excellent film. I recommend this film to anyone who is interested in saying what it’s really like living in LA today.