A Better Life - 6 stars out of 10

A Better Life - 6 stars out of 10

I'm not sure if "A Better Life" was actually as good as I think it was, but it seemed like a masterpiece after watching "Amexicano" one night earlier. (See my disdainful review of Amexicano here: http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2012/02/amexicano-1-star-out-of-10.html)
The film is about a Mexican man who buys a truck (and the business that comes along with it) to create a better life for his son, only to lose everything when his truck is stolen.  The film chronicles his desperate search to locate and recover the truck.  Basically, it's "The Bicycle Thief," only with illegal immigrants.  I really enjoyed the story presented in this film, but it just could not keep my interest.  I found Spider Solitaire appearing on my computer screen on more than one occasion during the film's meager 97 minute runtime.  I enjoyed every twist along the way, but the characters were pretty static and the script didn't have much pizazz.  I was about ready to give up on Demián Bichir's nomination for Best Actor... when the penultimate scene occurred.  Wow, what an incredible 5 minutes of emotion.  It made the entire film worth watching.  I also appreciated the diagetic music within the film, bringing a Latin feel to every scene.  This may not be the most interesting film that I have seen, but I was surprised at the emotions it was able to create regarding illegal aliens in our country.  I won't be changing my stance on this issue as a result of the film, but it provided some interesting insight.