Check This Out
Revolution #042, April 9, 2006, posted at revcom.us
From time to time, Revolution will run tips from our correspondents and readers on movies, art exhibits, books, plays, and other cultural events that readers should know about. No endorsement implied, but worth checking out.
From a Reader:
In light of the major struggles going on around immigrants, I'd like to recommend two films from a few years ago, now available on DVD, which are very timely and relevant.
The first is Life and Debt by Stephanie Black, which came out in 2001. This documentary movie gives powerful and living examples of the effects of globalization and imperialism on the people of Jamaica. It's told very creatively, juxtaposing images of tourists with the realities of Free Trade Zones and other enforced structural adjustments on the Jamaican people. This film provides a deepened understanding of how an imperialist country like the U.S., with its banks and financial institutions, impoverish and ruin countries like Jamaica.
The second film is Dirty Pretty Things, directed by Stephen Frears, which came out in 2002. This movie takes place in London and tells the story of a number of “illegal” immigrants from around the world whose lives intersect, revealing to what lengths they are pushed for survival. The main characters are Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a one-time Nigerian doctor who must now drive a cab by day and work at a hotel front desk by night, and Senay (Audrey Tautou), a Turkish immigrant working in a garment sweatshop. The film tells a profoundly moving yet disturbing tale, sharply illustrating the shit that immigrants are forced to deal with.