El Norte - American Contradictions

El Norte covers two Guatemalan immigrants whose journey escaping political violence and poor living conditions eventually leads them to the United States, facing continuous challenges in the pursuit of a better life. The promise of “El Norte” to them is safety and economic prosperity, though admittedly the economic prosperity they are looking for is still poverty by American standards. A major component of the movie is even though great risks are taken and we see massive changes in the characters’ lives, they are still not able to escape their pasts in multiple ways. From being targets of the Guatemalan government for their father’s involvement in rebellion, after extreme hardship they become targets of the United States government for being undocumented immigrants. From the manual labor that Enrique is shown performing in Guatemala and which his father is trying to rebel against, after nearly rising his way to becoming a bartender in a respectable restaurant, is eventually forced back into manual labor. The risks of death and downfall which plague the main characters contradict with the cyclical nature of the same level they fall back to by the movie's end as well as the American dream. The limits of their mobility and opportunities while pursuing the American dream poses a question of purpose and identity for America. Considering the ideal that America is a nation of immigrants, that immigrants are treated as a separate component of society raises an uncomfortable question. The situations that undocumented immigrants can find themselves in can range from exploitative to outright lethal, a fact which is both known and supported by the American legal system and American politics. America is a nation of immigrants with tremendous fears regarding immigration, and this contradiction is felt most strongly at our southern border.