To be the son of a Guatemalan immigrant in the United States means going out everyday without knowing if you'll ever see your parents. The documentary 'Abrazosâ? tells the stories of 14 children who live with this uncertainty.
LUIS ARGUETA
Director, 'Abrazosâ?
'It narrates the story of a group of children and their life-changing trip from Minnesota, USA to a place in Guatemala called San Marcos where fourteen children who are US citizesn, sons and daughters of Guatemalan illegal immigrants, to visit their grandparents for the first time and discover their roots.â?
'Abrazosâ? is the second in his trilogy on immigration, which he hopes will inspire new legislation that will regulate immigration in the United States.
LUIS ARGUETA
Director, 'Abrazosâ?
'It was those stories that I listened to, it was the trust these migrants entrusted to me in telling their life stories which made me realize that I needed to tell and share those stories.â?
Stories like Brandon's, who hasn't seen his parents in fourteen years.
'I am Brandon Eliazar. I haven't seen my parents in fourteen years.â? 'I didn't bring my son because he was too little. It hurts me a lot, I miss him so much I've gotten sick. Before, every time we talk, he'd just cry. He'd stay, 'I don't have a mother.' 'Son, I'm your mom', I'd say. I explained to him that I left because we were poor and we had nothing. 'But why didn't you take me with you?' 'Crossing the desert would've been hard', I'd tell him.â?
Currently, four million Guatemalans are living as undocumented immigrants in the United States. With his documentary, Argueta hopes to show the reality of families that have been broken and seperated because of this issue.
MPI/JAE
AA
JM
-PR
Up: MPI