Description: "THE CITY (LA CIUDAD), the feature film debut of writer/director David Riker, is a moving tribute to the struggles and hopes of a group of new Latin American immigrants facing the harsh realities of urban America. Reminiscent of THE GRAPES OF WRATH and THE BICYCLE THIEF in its realistic and gritty portrayal, THE CITY delves deep inside this community of newcomers, creating a powerful and incisive drama about the life which they now face in a new and unfamiliar world… A group of men hired to work in an abandoned lot are left stranded in the face of tragedy; A young man arriving from Mexico falls in love with a girl from his home village, only to lose her in the intimidating urban wilderness; A puppeteer living homeless with his daughter dreams that she’ll one day learn to read, but is unable to make his simple dream a reality; and a seamstress, desperate to send money home to help her sick daughter, is trapped working in a sweatshop, eventually rebelling against her employers. A strikingly authentic drama, THE CITY takes us on an eye-opening and heartfelt journey through a world of frustration, hope and sheer will of spirit, and in the process leaves us with an enlightened view of a determined group of struggling contemporary Americans.
Grapes of Wrath... Four short films that tell the story of new Latin American immigrants struggling to "make it" in New York City. The first story is about day laborers begging for work on street and eventually finding it - and learning that they were tricked in the deal. The second is about a young man coming from Mexico, wondering why he left everything he had behind, and eventually falling in love with a girl from his same home town. The third is a seamstress working in a sweatshop desperate to send money home to care for her sick daughter. And finally, the last is a homeless puppeteer who lives with his young daughter who tries to get his daughter into school without any papers.
The actors were not professionals but were perfectly casted - real and authentic. The black and white cinematography and imagery was spellbinding - capturing the facial expressions, the anxieties, the emotions, the heartbreak, the sweat on the brow, and all of the frustrations.
This film is solemn and somber throughout but tugged at everything human in me.
New York is a world of it's own Honestly, I only took on an interest in The City (La Ciudad) on a whim when I saw that it had gotten plenty of good reviews, had been critically acclaimed by people such as Roger Ebert, but certainly low-budget. I had recently become a big fan of vignette style films and was willing to take a look at anything. But my hopes were somewhat strange when I saw it had been made in 1998 wondering if it might be timely. As it turns out, the film is just as relevant today (and to my own self) as it was in between the years 1992 and 1997 when principal photography took place. There is just nothing to say that can justify this beautiful piece of art told through the black and white filter that takes over these people's dismal lives.
THE CITY follows four principal characters: Jose, a young but hard working man who wishes he was home with his wife and son through the letters they always send him; Francisco, a young man who stumbles into a quinceñera just after arriving from Mexico but meets and falls in love with a girl there; Luis, a single father and street puppeteer who wants the best for his daughter despite living out of his car with her; and Ana, a young seamstress worker who must find a way to send $400 home to her daughter who desperately needs medical attention. The four will soon discover through their emotionally-charged days that life in the city may make them or break them...but their lifelong problems will never end.
Usually a film will leave you with some sort of sense in redemption even with a sad ending but THE CITY displays the harsh truths in life for these poor immigrants and the emotional odysseys they must endure every day. You long for Jose, Francisco, Luis, and Ana, our loving protagonists, to find their hope and some of them nearly do find it but it falls right out of their grasp in an instant because of the smallest to the largest mistakes. Ultimately, their problems will never end. It's a big fat slap in the face to an audience but for a lot of people it's a reality.
The amazing cast who were made up of mostly first-timers including actual immigrants completely blew me away. The four lead actors told so much of their stories with their eyes that you can sense their desperation and blank feelings of not having a sense of comfort. The long absences of words in the film filled with atmospheric music burns the soul and will send a chill up your spine in every frame. Ricardo Cuevas as Jose truly brought out a sense of hopelessness. He's the one who spends the least amount of time in front of the camera but when you do see him, a sense of dread and sorrow immediately overtakes the story through reading the letters his wife sends him.
Silvia Goiz as Ana was my particular favorite. Goiz was absolutely mind-blowing. Her expressions in desperation for her character in trying to get enough money for her daughter's operation were incredible. The emotion she invoked on the screen was impeccable. Her face fills the screen with a sense of hope much more than for the others as her womanly stubborness dominates the screen. We know she's the one who won't give up. Cipriano Garcia as Francisco also portrayed a true feeling of innocence in coming straight from Mexico to New York and getting lost but finding a sense of comfort in a girl from the same town. The dread that envelopes his face in a twist-of-fate ending to his story completely blows us away. It's a mistake that began and finished his story and it's easy to see he feels it.
David Riker, who toiled years to put the entire full-length film together in starting it as a student film, has made a film that should not and will not be forgotten. It is a film that once you see it, it will stick with you. I saw it four months ago and it's all I've been able to think about for the longest time. It is not a waste of time and much different than anything you've ever seen before. Give it a chance. It's not just an art film, it's so much more than that, it's our world. You might get something out of it and I personally never say that about any film. You may even relate.
gritty and incomparable...... LA CIUDAD (The City) is a beautiful film shot entirely in gritty black and white and focuses on the lives and experiences of four groups of Latino immigrants, newly arrived in New York City. The story (with dialogue entirely in Spanish) has been compared to THE GRAPES OF WRATH and it is evident why. Through the eyes of the many struggling and hardworking people we come to know during the four short stories, we see the stark reality of the immigrant experience in the United States. While WRATH gave us a glimpse into the heartwrenching traumas faced by those who came on covered wagons during the Dustbowl to seek work in the fields. The stories broke my heart, ten years ago, and breaks it all over again when I think about the subject matter in this film. The first story tells the grim the tale of a group of brick layers on call for a job, the second is about a young Mexican boy who comes to the big city of New York, the third is about a homeless man and his daughter and the fourth depicts the plight of a woman toiling in the sweat shops, day in and day out. This movie really is unforgettable and will linger in your mind for a long time.
La Ciudad I found La Ciudad a very different movie from any other movies I have wathched. This movie is split into four narratives of Latino immigrants living in the city of New York. Immigrants come to the US with many dreams in their minds. These dreams include getting higher education or getting thier childeren higher education, getting rich, and living a happy and high standard life. This movie shows how these dreams of immigrants are turned down and broken because of the exploitations at thier workplace and the laws of the city and the government. This movie also shows how the immigrant children are affected from these laws and exploitations. For example, Luis's daughter Dulce cannot get addmission to school, and Ana cannot do anything to treat her ill daugheter who is not with Ana. I like it how the movie is shown in black and white; it really matches with the narratives that are shown in the movie. It also indicates that although immigrants hope to have happy and colorful lives in the US, they are not able to have them because of the laws and exploitations. Overall, I really liked the movie and I would encourage anyone to see it.
La Ciudad I would not recommend this movie to anyone who is close minded and not willing to see America in an alternate view. La Ciudad depicts the lives of four illegal immigrant workers in the city in the 1990's. This movie shows some harsh and very realistic footage of what life is like for these undocumented people in America. To me, Anthony Rivera's intentions were for educational purposes for the rest of the United States that does not really know what type of life illegals live here.
Although these stories are fictional, they seem more real than anything I have ever watched before. Each character comes vividly to life through the four intertwining stories. The message sent in this movie is continually seen, and as for myself, after viewing La Ciudad, I see society in a different light. This movie has made me more aware of other aspects of the American life.
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