A Glance into a Better Life

The films “A Better Life” and “Entre Nos” shed light on the undocumented immigrant experience but also expose the lack of visibility in public spaces through limited cultural hotspots and practices. The films focus on single immigrant parents who recently moved to America. The films work to show how each parent works to problem solve and overcome the specific problems presented to them as they work to build a life for their families in a new country. The films work to show the growth of each family while also showing the lengths the parents will go to remain invisible in society.
Throughout my paper, I work to highlight the limited opportunities both families experience when moving to America. Both films highlight the struggle of building a life while remaining invisible to the rest of the population. The struggles any immigrant parents must juggle to provide for their family, create a loving household while also building new future for their families. Parents must find shelter, a job and access to school for their children. The biggest way each family was able to ask for help and gain opportunities is through the discovery of cultural districts. Places like Eastside L.A., in California made a large impact in the growing of Latin American population. Finding a safe place like Eastside has made for a community that hares experiences of immigration and the culture they left behind. Over the years, Eastside has become a safe place for new immigrant families as they attempt to build a better life. Starting with the history of Eastside, the community gained popularity during the early 1910s during the Mexican Revolution. Mexican immigrants began moving to the US in hopes of building a stable and safe life for their families. Since then, Eastside also played a role in the 1960s Chicano movement as a series of protest that highlight racial discrimination and education inequality that was being experienced throughout Eastside. Since the protests, Eastside has continued to grow into a Latin American community that supports the practice of Latin American culture. Through Muralism and the Chicano Rock scene have made for a place where Latin- American culture is not only accepted but practiced in the community. Not only through the establishment, but also the increase of Latin America population has shifted the way the Latin-American community is perceived by the public. As of 2021, the Latin American population has made up around 50% of the US population Through an increase in immigration, the US has experienced a shift in the immigration population as many of the Latin American population are legally documented citizens. This now shifts the stereotypes about Latin American as a large population group of individuals rather than illegal immigrants who must remain invisible.