Immigration is always a hot topic in America, which is strange considering that the whole country was created by immigrants. However, Crossing Over is not just a movie about that, as it explores many other issues. If you think about it, almost all of the population had to migrate at some point. For fucks sake, that’s what propelled our expanse in the early years of humanity. Since then nothing has changed, people are still running away from violent cultures and looking for the next best place to call home.
Crossing Over deals with the destinies of immigrants and their struggle to get a green card. This is a classic “we must pay attention to this problem” type of movie. So don’t expect some miracles, although I am certain that people who have been in a similar situation will find this movie much more impactful than others. Comprised of several different stories all connected by the subject of immigration, it features a decent pace and more importantly great cast. Starring Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, and Ashley Judd, the movie is full of great actors that helped with the wobbly script. Sometimes you feel that emotional milking going on, but it’s not that prevalent.
Meet Cole Frankel and Hamid Baraheri, two immigration officers working a very difficult job. They are helping immigrants navigate the treacherous roads to the American Dream. Most of them are fleeing poverty and just seeking a better life for themselves and their family.
Since there’s no single narrative apart from the whole immigration thing, I will skip most of the plot and talk more about the issues raised here. They are very current and I believe will remain current for quite some time. Mostly because they also represent the classic push back against immigrants.
Those are those Schrodinger’s immigrants too lazy to get a job and at the same time stealing jobs from the native population. However, the whole movie has this lefty circle jerk vibe to it that I didn’t like. Yes, the stories are very emotional and engaging almost to the point of melodrama. And the way they are put together, with Ford and Judd acting like glue and representative of the native population seems rushed.
I think if they spent another year or so perfecting the script, we could be looking at a masterpiece. In the end, I have to mention Cliff Curtis with another magnificent performance. The man is slowly becoming one of my favorite actors. And finally, I have to mention Alice Eve who not only looks good but acts like she’s a fucking veteran. That scene in the bathroom was especially good and emotional.
And I will say nothing about the rest of her scenes where she’s completely nude most of the time. And I’m not saying that Crossing Over is worth watching only because of those scenes. I’m most certainly not. If you’re interested in watching similar movies check out Crash and Babel. Both of them feature a similar style of storytelling and even some same motives.
Director: Wayne Kramer
Cast: Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Jim Sturgess, Alice Eve, Cliff Curtis, Alice Braga
Fun Stuff: The cases presented in the film are based on actual occurrences in the U.S.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0924129/
