By Elma Gonzalez
"Every day thousands of people illegally cross our borders... only one thing stands in their way. America."
With this tagline, Crossing Over joins the great number of films that deal with the issue of immigration to the United States. Written and directed by Wayne Kramer (also known for making Running Scared), the movie is a series of vignettes connected by one ambition: to achieve legal status in Los Angeles. The movie's structure is very similar to that of Crash, Babel, and Traffic and shows a great deal of promise in its trailer. Unfortunately, just like many other Holywood films, Crossing Over fails to live up to its expectations. Unlike its three predecessors, this film is predictable and at times characterless.
Although it includes influential actors such as Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, and 'Across the Universe' star Jim Sturgess, the film surprisingly lacks the action and excitement big blockbusters usually comprise. Instead this film is a drama that consists of an intricate plot that deals with the horrors and obstacles faced by immigrants -specifically Koreans, Africans, Iranians, Australians, Mexicans, and Jewish/atheist Britons- to the United States.
Regardless of the unwieldy final product, Crossing Over does leave the audience with a message that deals with the present, dysfunctional system management of immigration in the United States.
So, before you go ahead and watch this film, keep in mind that this is a slow drama; it has no action or comedy. However, if you enjoy watching films that leave you something to think about, take 113min of your day to check it out!
Personally, I enjoyed watching the film even though it was short of action and comedy, two very important factors in that characterize my ideal films.
Extra Info:
MPAA:
Rated R for pervasive language, some strong violence and sexuality/nudity.
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