KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Kirpianuscus The first impression - it reminds "Ladri di biciclette". the best thing - it is a hhonest, delicate, precise , touching film. the delicacy is its lead virtue. a well made story, admirable performances and one of films about simple things defining each of us. because it gives , in splendid manner, the portrait of relation between a father, his son and an option so moving. a film who must see . twice. for many motives. the first - Demian Bichir eyes. a film from the Russian tradition. about roots and meanings and one of the most profound forms of love. a film about the life. great ayt whole . scene by scene. short, an eulogy to fatherhood.

vinsond21 Halfway through this movie about a father and son struggling to make it in life, one is reminded of Bicycle Thief and The Pursuit of Happiness. The heart-wrenching tale about illegal immigrants also brought back memories of El Norte and parts of Babel. Oscar-nominated Demian Bichir is superb as the father who is prepared to do anything for his precious son, played by an equally impressive Jose Julian. The latter's character is at times rebellious and at times peevish, but he still comes through for his father when the situation calls for it. This is a wonderful two-character study that is as compelling as the two similar films mentioned earlier with it.

lourensini What would we do for a better life? How much would we suffer to give it to people we love? How many times would we get up after the fall? For people like me, who never had to crack my ass off working to pay bills, never needed to take care of anyone, I can only see myself in José Julián character, Luis. Because my mother and father has to, and still have to hold things on to provide to me what tey didn't have when they were young. And for this, I see them on Demián Bichir character, Carlos Galino, which he does AMAZING, by the way.Better life get an unknown actor and put him to perform on of the best characters i've ever seen. Carlos Galindo ain't just a character, he is real, he does exist, by different names from different countries and nations.Not every actor in this movie is as great as Demián Bichir, but they still leave they're marks, like Gabriel Chavarria as Ramón.The writing is amazing, the Mexican gangsta accents were pretty interesting for me to hear, since the difficulty any person who speaks English would have to understand them. But coming back to the written, it is clear and clearly represents an simple 4 old boy and his hard worker father. All other characters also were well represented and they personality exposed.What was the BEST about this movie was it's soundtrack. It's just stunning! and you don't have to pay much attention to note it. To bad I couldn't find anywhere to download it. Because it worth it to hear again, as the original as the other tracks. It's brilliantly placed when needed. Can't, and don need to talk much about, because this movie is a Must See, so you'll face this amazing soundtrack just like I did.The photography is clear and also creates a drama atmosphere. Drama which could not always get me by surprise, thanks to those closes on objects, denouncing whats gonna happen in the following moments. But even thou it could take me by surprise giving to those characters one problem after another to take care.Another issue was when it finished. I just though "already?". This kind of movie really deserves a little bit more of time to develop. ACtually, it had has it's develop. But I wanted to see more.Since not everyone has much idea about how much crapp an illegal immigrant has to go through. And the humanity, humility and strengh Carlos Galino shows it's just jealously. We should watch at this movie as an anthropology class, not just a drama movie, there's thousands of dramas about love we can see if the idea is just felling sick a little bit.A Better Life it a must see. Seet it.

bdgill12 Carlos Galindo (Demian Bichir) wants nothing more than to provide his son, Luis (Jose Julian), with the life he himself never had. An illegal alien who has lived in the US for many years, Carlos works as a gardener and keeps his head down, always mindful of what deportation would mean for his son. Luis, meanwhile, is a typically rebellious teenager who doesn't understand or appreciate his father's sacrifices and who is on the brink of joining the local gang. When Carlos' boss planning to leave the gardening business and head home, he offers to sell his truck and equipment to his loyal employee. Desperate to make something happen for himself, Carlos accepts the offer and goes into business for himself, a risk he normally would not take. But when the truck is stolen by a day laborer, Carlos and Luis go on a journey to recover their property and in the process, rebuild the relationship that they've both sorely missed.I think it was a surprise to many to find Demian Bichir's name among those nominated for Best Actor at this year's Academy Awards. On a list that includes Gary Oldman, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and eventual winner Jean Dujardin, Bichir seemed a bit out of place, especially considering some of the great work done by accomplished actors who were not recognized by the academy (Ryan Gosling, Michael Shannon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, etc.). This is one of those situations, however, that demands a viewing before judgment because, having now seen A Better Life, I can certainly understand the Academy's decision. Simply put, this is a heartfelt, power house performance by an actor that perfectly embodies his role. Carlos encapsulates elements of heartbreak and hope, misfortune and motivation and in doing so creates a deeply layered and personal portrayal. Bichir plays Carlos with subtlety, acting as much with his eyes as with his words, giving notice of the internal conflict waging within the man throughout his various struggles. It is truly an outstanding performance and one that carries significant weight.The rest of A Better Life, though, doesn't quite measure up to the brilliance of the lead performer. Many of the early scenes come off as manufactured rather than organic, a polar opposite to the path that Bichir takes with his character. It is too earnest at times and that could cause cynical jerks like me to bail on the film before it ever really gets going. To be fair, A Better Life gets better as it goes and eventually leaves the safety of borderline-manipulative Oscar bait behind in favor of a more genuine tone but in some ways that makes the first act even more frustrating. There are also a handful of scenes that could have been edited out or restructured more purposefully and many of Bichir's colleagues fail to deliver at a compatible level with the film's star. Julian shows flashes of excellence but overall I found his performance to be spotty and less-than believable. I can't say whether the blame for this rests on Julian or the film's director, Chris Weitz, but the dynamic between father and son didn't always deliver. It would have been interesting to see Bichir go toe-to-toe with a more challenging co-star, similar to the interactions between George Clooney and Shailene Woodley in The Descendants. What saves A Better Life from becoming yet another independent film that doesn't live up to the strength of its leading performer is the conclusion. Weitz saves his best work for last, creating a stirring, emotional scene in the very end in which Bichir delivers beautifully and which exhibits the very best of the relationship between Carlos and Luis. It is a hopeful, impactful finale that covers over the film's previous missteps and allowed me to leave with a higher opinion of the film than I might have had otherwise. The result is a good movie highlighted my one fantastic performance and brought home by one stirring scene.Please see my reviews at thesoapboxoffice.blogspot.com