El Norte Details

El Norte

Mayan Indian peasants, tired of being thought of as nothing more than "brazos fuertes" ("strong arms", i.e., manual laborers) and organizing in an effort to improve their lot in life, are discovered by the Guatemalan army. After the army destroys their village and family, a brother and sister, teenagers who just barely escaped the massacre, decide they must flee to "El Norte" ("the North", i.e., the USA). After receiving clandestine help from friends and humorous advice from a veteran immigrant on strategies for traveling through Mexico, they make their way by truck, bus and other means to Los Angeles, where they try to make a new life as young, uneducated, and illegal immigrants.

Starring	Tony Plana, David Villalpando
Director	Gregory Nava
Run time	DVD: 2 hrs 19 mins
Certificate
Genres	Drama
Language	DVD: Spanish, Maya, English
Released	Production year: 1984 To Rent: DVD: not available