For undocumented immigrants, life is a state of perpetual limbo; the present is fraught with unexpected dangers, while the future is as ephemeral as a mirage. Shot in lyrical black and white, Stéphanie Barbey and Luc Peter’s documentary astutely conveys these feelings of anxiety and isolation. The film centres on the so-called Dreamers, migrants who were brought to the US as children without papers. Carlos, the main subject, is one such case: originally from Mexico, he crossed the border at the age of nine with his three brothers and his parents. Now in his late 30s, Carlos has spent all of his adult life in America, yet there is no legal pathway for him to citizenship.
A tragedy looms large. Jorge, one of Carlos’s siblings, was deported to Mexico after a minor driving offence, leaving behind his partner and his son. The enforced separation haunts every intimate gathering; scenes of festivities are intercut with Carlos’s various phone calls to Jorge, emotional conversations punctuated with loaded pauses and lulls. Not only has this family been torn apart, but those who remain in the US are also on unsteady ground. Fears of arrest, detention and deportation are always at the back of Carlos’s mind, rendering ordinary day-to-day activities mentally taxing.
The city of Chicago emerges as a central character in the film. The camera glides through the metropolis, taking in the towering skyscrapers and overpasses, as well as the multiculturalism embedded in the urban landscape. This emphasis on space further drives home the paradox of existing in America as someone whose movements are severely restricted; for the undocumented, there are no open roads. Carlos might be surrounded by indicators of wealth and prosperity, to which he contributes as a tax-paying resident, yet he himself is not free.
Dreamers is on True Story from 26 September.
