Undocumented immigrants are detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a regular basis, and their experiences could provide the foundation of a potent documentary, or a riveting social thriller. “The Infiltrators” endeavors to be both: Husband-and-wife co-directors Alex Rivera (“Sleep Dealer”) and Cristina Ibarra (“Las Marthas”) oscillates from real-life accounts of Dreamer activists going undercover in detention facilities to help reunite immigrants with their families, and fictional reenactments of the drama that unfolded inside.
The experimental approach takes some time to settle in and doesn’t always click, but at its best, “The Infiltrators” manages to personalize the undocumented struggle by transforming it into an unlikely blend of activism and suspense that makes a compelling case for the abolishment of Ice.
The two-pronged approach reflects its creators’ many modes: Rivera’s 2008 “Sleep Dealer” was a sci-fi allegory for contemporary immigration concerns, while Ibarra directed several documentaries on the same subject.
The experimental approach takes some time to settle in and doesn’t always click, but at its best, “The Infiltrators” manages to personalize the undocumented struggle by transforming it into an unlikely blend of activism and suspense that makes a compelling case for the abolishment of Ice.
The two-pronged approach reflects its creators’ many modes: Rivera’s 2008 “Sleep Dealer” was a sci-fi allegory for contemporary immigration concerns, while Ibarra directed several documentaries on the same subject.
- 2/1/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Chronicling the audacious acts of a group of organized undocumented youth prior to the Obama-implemented, temporary relief known as Daca (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), “The Infiltrators,” from Latinx directors Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, is a vital piece of hybrid cinema that shines light into the obscure realm of privately-operated immigration detention facilities. The timely film world-premiered Friday night at the Sundance Film Festival.
Interweaving firsthand accounts in talking-head format and scripted reenactments, Rivera and Ibarra construct a high-stakes, real-life drama centered on the National Immigrant Youth Alliance (Niya), comprised of resourceful and deeply committed DREAMers who’ve dared to defy the system, not only for their own benefit but also for the greater good.
“Everyone needs a plan,” says Niya activist Marco Saavedra (played by Maynor Alvarado in the docufiction sections) when detailing their strategy behind the 2012 infiltration of the Broward Transitional Center, an immigration jail in Florida,...
Interweaving firsthand accounts in talking-head format and scripted reenactments, Rivera and Ibarra construct a high-stakes, real-life drama centered on the National Immigrant Youth Alliance (Niya), comprised of resourceful and deeply committed DREAMers who’ve dared to defy the system, not only for their own benefit but also for the greater good.
“Everyone needs a plan,” says Niya activist Marco Saavedra (played by Maynor Alvarado in the docufiction sections) when detailing their strategy behind the 2012 infiltration of the Broward Transitional Center, an immigration jail in Florida,...
- 1/26/2019
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
Is Sundance poised for ICE to crash its Park City party?
When the documentary/narrative hybrid The Infiltrators makes its world premiere Jan. 25 at the Library Center Theatre, at least two self-described Dreamers who are featured in the film plan to be on hand and are taunting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to meet them there.
“I welcome any retaliation by the Trump Administration,” says Mohammad Abdollahi, an undocumented immigrant from Iran. “We've come to understand that the more out there in the open we are, the safer we are. If I were to get detained by immigration,...
When the documentary/narrative hybrid The Infiltrators makes its world premiere Jan. 25 at the Library Center Theatre, at least two self-described Dreamers who are featured in the film plan to be on hand and are taunting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to meet them there.
“I welcome any retaliation by the Trump Administration,” says Mohammad Abdollahi, an undocumented immigrant from Iran. “We've come to understand that the more out there in the open we are, the safer we are. If I were to get detained by immigration,...
- 1/23/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Is Sundance poised for Ice to crash its Park City party?
When the documentary/narrative hybrid The Infiltrators makes its world premiere Jan. 25 at the Library Center Theatre, at least two self-described Dreamers who are featured in the film plan to be on hand and are taunting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to meet them there.
“I welcome any retaliation by the Trump Administration,” says Mohammad Abdollahi, an undocumented immigrant from Iran. “We've come to understand that the more out there in the open we are, the safer we are. If I were to get detained by immigration,...
When the documentary/narrative hybrid The Infiltrators makes its world premiere Jan. 25 at the Library Center Theatre, at least two self-described Dreamers who are featured in the film plan to be on hand and are taunting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to meet them there.
“I welcome any retaliation by the Trump Administration,” says Mohammad Abdollahi, an undocumented immigrant from Iran. “We've come to understand that the more out there in the open we are, the safer we are. If I were to get detained by immigration,...
- 1/23/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
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