This article is about the American film directed by Chris Weitz. For the 2011 French film directed by Cédric Kahn, see Une vie meilleure. For the Spring King album, see A Better Life (album).
Carlos Galindo is a gardener in Los Angeles working with his partner, Blasco. His son, Luis, studies at high school. Luis spends time with his girlfriend, Ruthie, who is affiliated with gang members. They pressure him to join them. On one occasion, Luis is suspended for assaulting a student.
Carlos' sister, Anita, lends $12,000 from the family's emergency fund for Carlos to buy Blasco's truck. It is later stolen by Santiago, whom Carlos hired. The next day, Carlos and Luis head to a South Central apartment complex, which is used as lodgings for undocumented immigrant workers. One man tells the two that Santiago works at a nightclub. Carlos and Luis head to the restaurant, which would open during the night. At the rodeo, Carlos mentions to Luis about his mother abandoning them.
Luis mentions that he dislikes Mexican music and culture. After finding Santiago at the nightclub, Carlos and Luis interrogate him in the parking lot. They learn that he has sold the truck to a black market garage and sent the money to his family in El Salvador. When Santiago pleads not guilty, Carlos defends him and Luis angrily leaves them. The next day, Carlos convinces Luis to go with him to the black market garage where the truck is.
They retrieve the truck but are stopped by the police. Carlos is arrested and incarcerated in the United States as an undocumented immigrant. Luis visits the detention center and reconciles with his father. After promising Luis that he will return, Carlos boards the deportation bus and is sent back to Mexico. Although Luis' friends are joining gangs, he rejects that life and goes to live with his aunt's family. Four months later, Carlos attempts to return illegally to the United States to be with Luis, using a coyote to guide him and other migrants through the desert, knowing that, as a returning deportee, he'll face criminal charges if he's caught.
The film was originally titled The Gardener. Uncommon among Hollywood productions, it is set in a Hispanic community and features an almost entirely Hispanic cast.[2]
Weitz used the film to explore the culture and geography of Los Angeles. Father Gregory Boyle of Homeboy Industries, run by former gang members, helped Weitz and his crew with finding locations and making their film as authentic as possible. The language of the script was modified to reflect the actual slang used in Los Angeles, even reflecting linguistic differences from the street.[2]
Critical response to the film has been positive. It has garnered an 85% "fresh" rating from Rotten Tomatoes, based on 108 reviews, and an average rating of 6.9/10. The critical consensus reads: "Powered by a terrific performance from Demián Bichir, A Better Life is an immigrant story told with simplicity and an ample amount of heart."[4] The critical aggregator Metacritic awarded the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 30 critics, signifying "generally positive reviews".[5]
Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Dave Karger called A Better Life an "unfussy, yet quite powerful drama with a terrific central performance by Demián Bichir." Karger called the film an "awards contender" and wrote, "With the right reviews and commercial reception, it could go even further."[8]Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote "the performances are pitch perfect" and he gave the film three and a half out of four stars.[9]
The New Yorker critic Richard Brody wrote: "The story unfolds without hagiography, pity, or trumped-up heroism, as the filmmaker approaches the lives of everyday people with modest compassion and imaginative sympathy.[10] Amy Biancolli, writing in the Houston Chronicle, said "It's straight, true and heartbreaking, a masterstroke of raw emotional minimalism".[11]
