SOMEONE ELSE'S AMERICA
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 8.0 Alternative Scale: ***1/2 out of ****
France/UK/Germany/Greece, 1995 U.S. Release Date: beginning 6/96 (limited) Running Length: 1:36 MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Mature themes, sexual situations, profanity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Cast: Tom Conti, Miki Manojilovic, Sergej Trifunovic, Zorka Manojilovic, Maria Casares, Andjela Stojkovic, Chia-Ching Niu Director: Goran Paskaljevic Producers: Antoine De Clermont-Tonnerre, David Rose, and Helga Baehr Screenplay: Gordon Mihic Cinematography: Yorgos Arvantis Music: Andrew Dickson U.S. Distributor: October Films In English, Spanish, and Yugoslavian with subtitles
Goran Paskaljevic's SOMEONE ELSE'S AMERICA is a modern-day tale of the immigration experience. Despite the complexities of today's socio- political situation, where illegal aliens enter the United States seemingly at will to work in sweat shops at sub-minimum wage jobs, the lure of the American Dream sings its siren song to men and women worldwide. Ellis Island may be a tourist site, but the Statue of Liberty still stands tall, beckoning the tired, the poor, and those yearning to breathe free.
Paskaljevic's film reminds us that simple tales are often the most affecting. Nothing of world-shaking importance transpires during SOMEONE ELSE'S AMERICA's 96-minute running time. We're introduced to a pair of characters, then follow their trials and tribulations as they attempt to adapt to their new surroundings. Nevertheless, this movie is an insightful examination of the differences with which members of the same family react to being uprooted from their native land and transplanted to a strange country.
SOMEONE ELSE'S AMERICA opens in Brooklyn, across the East River from Manhattan, where the skyscrapers loom like a steel-and-concrete promise forever beyond the immigrants' reach. As photographed by Yorgos Arvantis, Manhattan is cold and beautiful. Bayo (Miki Manojilovic, TITO AND ME), from Montenegro, has been in the United States for less than a year, doing odd-jobs for his Spaniard friend, Alonso (Tom Conti, SHIRLEY VALENTINE). In his spare time, he works with a crew of other illegal aliens, wearing a gas mask and cleaning up toxic waste sites. The money he earns, he sends home, where his mother and three children still reside. Not for long, however, as it turns out. Spurred by the desire of Bayo's oldest son, Luka (Sergej Trifunovic), to reach the new world, the four embark on an ocean voyage to Mexico, where a "travel guide" agrees to take them north of the border. Tragedy strikes as they cross the Rio Grande -- Bayo's youngest son is swept away in the currents, and the family's subsequent reunion becomes a sad event.
Three generations offer three different perspectives of immigrating to America. When asked why he crossed the ocean, Bayo responds that, though he would love to go back home, he has to remind himself daily that he came here to build a future for his two youngest children. Bayo's mother, however, hates New York. "I don't know how to live here... it's someone else's country," she laments. Responding to her, Luka says, "There's nothing for us [back in Montenegro]." He has come to the United States to forge his dreams, and, by making himself invaluable to Alonso and marrying a Chinese American citizen, he takes strides in that direction. But Bayo blames Luka for the Rio Grande disaster, and their relationship becomes strained.
One of the reasons SOMEONE ELSE'S AMERICA is so effective is that it shuns melodrama. This low-key tale concentrates on family dynamics and interpersonal relationships rather than making political statements or toying with the audience's emotions. Paskaljevic accepts that immigrating to the United States is what it is, and concentrates not on condemning the process, but exploring how it affects those who, for better or worse, make the attempt. This is a tragic comedy, with moments of wry, unforced humor peppering the drama. Because of its positive outlook on life, SOMEONE ELSE'S AMERICA isn't a downer, but, like last year's LAMERICA, it prompts viewers to consider how much courage and sacrifice is demanded for an individual to risk moving from one country to another. It also encourages understanding of why newcomers to this country cling so desperately to traditions and customs of the one left behind.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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