A Better Life
| A Better Life | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Chris Weitz |
| Produced by |
Paul Junger Witt Christian McLaughlin Chris Weitz Jami Gertz |
| Screenplay by | Eric Eason |
| Story by | Roger L. Simon |
| Starring |
Demian Bichir José Julián |
| Music by | Alexandre Desplat |
| Cinematography | Javier Aguirresarobe |
| Edited by | Peter Lambert |
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Production
company |
Lime Orchard Productions
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| Distributed by | Summit Entertainment |
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Release date
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Running time
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94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Spanish |
| Budget | $10 million |
| Box office | $1,759,252 |
A Better Life is a 2011 American drama film directed by Chris Weitz. The screenplay, originally known as The Gardener, was written by Eric Eason based on a story by Roger L. Simon. Demián Bichir was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Carlos Galindo (Demián Bichir) works as a gardener with Blasco Martinez (Joaquín Cosio) in Los Angeles, California. Blasco wants to return to Mexico and continually tries to persuade Carlos to purchase his business from him, which includes the work truck and gardening tools. Carlos's son Luis (José Julián) is in high school and is dating Ruthie Valdez (Chelsea Rendon), the niece of a local gang leader. Luis regularly goes to her house after school where gang members congregate. Luis is embarrassed by his father and, although he does not wish to follow in his footsteps, he has a hard time committing himself to his education. However, his relationship with Ruthie and his friendship with Facundo (Bobby Soto) pushes him toward becoming a gang member.
Carlos asks his sister Anita (Dolores Heredia) for a loan to purchase Blasco's truck and tools. Anita lends Carlos $12,000, which comes out of her family's emergency fund. Carlos reluctantly accepts.
Carlos returns to a corner where he used to look for work and hires Santiago (Carlos Linares). However, on the first day, Santiago steals the truck.
The next morning, Carlos and Luis head out to find Santiago. A trip leads them to a South Central apartment complex. The apartment is used as lodgings for undocumented immigrant workers. One man, to whom Santiago sold Carlos’ cellphone, tells them that Santiago moonlights as a dishwasher at a nightclub. When they first go, the club is closed and they go to a nearby rodeo.
At the rodeo, Carlos and Luis talk about Luis’s feelings toward his culture and his family. Luis is bitter about his mother abandoning them. He does not like Mexican music or certain Mexican traditions. When the nightclub opens, Carlos finds Santiago washing dishes. Santiago runs away, but Luis is waiting outside and tackles him and brutally beats him until Carlos pulls Luis away. They discover that Santiago has sold the truck and sent the money to his family back home to El Salvador. Luis runs away since he feels Carlos betrayed him for defending the man who stole their opportunity of improving their lives.
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Wikipedia