7 Soles

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.