Demian Bichir is perhaps most famous for his tumultuous border running romance with Mary Louise Parker on "Weeds." It's hard to picture him doing much of anything without wearing slick suits, shouting quick deliberate orders to his lackeys, and keeping a short leash on that pesky Nancy Botwin.
A Better Life shows a side of Demian Bichir he has been unable to share previously. Though directed by Chris Weitz of the great Weitz brother duo who have collectively climbed there way from American Pie (not a shabby place to start), through About a Boy, In Good Company, The Golden Compass, and The Twilight Saga: New Moon -- A Better Life is a true indie.
The plot is very small, very genuine, very contained, and very poignant. The simple fact of the matter is that Bichir wants a better life for his son, Luis. Like so many immigrants before him, Bichir has trimmed legal corners in the hopes of incrementally improving his -- and more importantly his son's -- quality of life.
Bichir works as a gardener, a bit older than some, but willing to do what it takes to get the job done. He clamors at Home Depot to land jobs with wealthier Angelinos who pull in looking to hire a crew for the day -- but that kind of work has no guarantees. Bichir's true chance at happiness comes in the form of a pick-up truck. His friend and employer is ready to sell and Bichir will have the opportunity to be the sole proprietor of his own business. Of course, there are major drawbacks to a plan of this kind. First off, Bichi has no paperwork and who knows, as he says, what will happen to him should he get pulled over for something as simple as a taillight. Furthermore, he just doesn't have the cash to cover it.
Of course he gets the truck. Of course a great many things go wrong. It has never been the Film Nook's place to spoil plots. This one, though a touch on the sparse side, is good. I will admit there is an element to the script -- particularly when it becomes directly preachy about how American legal and immigration policy work that has the feel of a movie of the week. Then again, it is the mission of A Better Life to give the rest of us an insight into what is happening every day. There is no epic journey through the naturalization process here -- that is not what this film is about. But when the topic is raised, the presentation of information was simply too dry. I wonder if anything -- beyond Bichir's relationship with his son and his determination to provide solid future -- was necessary. Broadening the scope in the final third of the film detracted from the heartfelt confrontational moments.
Along the lines of award recognition, Bichir is a bit of a conundrum. The film is small. It's audience was limited. Outside of the festival and rental circuit (or the screeners) I wonder how many folks out there saw A Better Life in the theater. According to boxofficemojo, the film took in a mere 1.8 million considering its 10 million dollar budget. I always look at nominations of this sort as a great boost for a film that didn't get a chance. A Better Life certainly deserves an audience that crosses the 10 million threshold -- Bichir's press ought to grant them that. But how does this nomination square with the actors who were omitted?
It certainly is not Demian Bichir's "fault" that Leo, JGL, Owen Wilson, and Ryan Gosling didn't make it to the big dance. Bichir also snagged a SAG nom and Leo was among the nominees last Sunday. It was the influx of Mr. Oldman that knocked Leo aside. Truth be told, if one were lining up the best male performances of the year, Leo should have perhaps made his exit from the award run a bit earlier. JGL and Owen Wilson suffer from comedy disease. This year it seems only Jean du Jardin is permitted a nomination for hilarity -- despite The Descendants' marketing putting forth the notion that Clooney -- along with being a heartbroken man -- sure is a hoot when he's poking his head over a hedge or making a hairpin turn.
Bichir's lone head-to-head fight remained Ryan Gosling -- who will be getting his own blog post. The simple truth of the matter is that the critics circles -- particularly with their handful of Albert Brooks' victories -- gave the impression that Drive was very much in the game. One could sure bring up Ides, too. But it seems if Ryan were getting a nom, it was for the bad-ass jacket, not the tailored suits. But Gosling hasn't appeared among the latter half of nominees -- nor did he personally appear at the HFPA Golden Globes. Though Gosling was only nominated for Half Nelson it seemed he was destined for noms with Lars and the Real Girl and Blue Valentine. The Academy did not see things that way.
Whatever the case, Bichir is now among the five. His role is important. His performance is one that certainly showed a great deal more depth than anything he has done in the past. Whether it is one of the top five performances of the year seems a battle of opinions. For this chump, his nomination makes perfect sense. While the academy has railed about a lack of diversity in the nominees, it seems that outcry often applies only to African Americans. There is a great lack of nominations from the Latino culture -- particularly when one considers how many films like A Better Life are out there. A Better Life is a story taking place in the streets of Los Angeles and touches Academy voters on a daily basis. That combined with Bichir's solid work makes his nomination feel inevitable.
Frankly, having seen the film now, I wonder why Jose Julian wasn't nominated for his role as the adolescent Luis. Then again, this little indie should be satisfied with what it has received. The supporting actor category simply doesn't have space for Mr. Julian if Mr. Brooks was omitted. What's more, if a youngster was getting nommed this year, the choice was The Descendants' Shailene Woodley.
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