7 Soles
7 Soles, filmed in Mexico,
is about the current and very realistic, problem of Mexicans illegally
immigrating to the United States. 7 Soles
translates to 7 suns, representing
the seven long days and nights the immigrants spend travelling. Ramona (played by Evangelina
Sosa) is a mother of two; they live in a poor neighborhood of Mexico with
the grandparents. Ramona receives a phone call from her husband who had
previously immigrated to Chicago. He informs her that their dream is now a reality;
they will finally be able to live together as a family in Chicago. The husband hired
a man, El Negro (played by Gustavo
Sanchez Parra), who will bring her and her children across to the United
States so that they can be reunited as a family. The Grandparents are reluctant
to allow this but Ramona insists. The next day they pack and leave. El Negro and El Gavilan (played by Luis Avila) two drug lords;
throughout the journey they have arguments around the subject of who is boss. The
group of Mexicans that are being smuggled by these two men were misinformed
about how long they would be travelling so they were underprepared with food
and water, basic needs when trekking through the Sonoran Desert. The other
characters are in similar situations as Ramona
and her family.
Pedro Ultreras, director and
screenwriter of 7 Soles, used his
knowledge from being a journalist for his film debut. As a journalist he
observed and wrote on issues surrounding immigration. His vision for the film
was to express the real situations he encountered in his work as a journalist. Since
this film is based on real events, it is designed to be educational about the
dangers of these types of adventures. The film contains graphic scenes of
violence and sexual assault. Illegal
immigration is a current topic and problem in the Unites
States, it is estimated that eleven million people make up the undocumented
immigrant population in the United States. 7
Soles is only about people from Mexico immigrating to the United
States illegally. El Negro and El Gavilan are two Mexican men that work
for the Mexican
drug trade, which is also another social issue that arises in 7 Soles.
The disturbing
scenes were highly necessary to express how the illegal immigrants are treated
like they are worthless. The movie had a slow start but a strong finish. The
group of Mexicans were travelling through the desert for the majority of the
film and then the violence and fight for survival breaks out. The acting is
slightly overdone and makes the emotions seem fake and unrealistic. The acting
affects the viewer’s empathy for the characters. In parts where there is
extreme violence and cruelty the acting is extremely overdone.
Talon
Reviews 7 Soles (2008) wrote a blog on 7
Soles and gave an informative synopsis and also had similar views on how
the film was informative and educational. Overall 7 Soles reflected on realistic, current social issues surrounding
the problem of illegal immigration and cruel treatment of human beings.
