Stéphanie Barbey & Luc Peter
Switzerland, Germany | 2023 | 84 min
World premiere
Languages : English, Spanish
Subtitles : English, French
Carlos’ American dream is trapped in the labyrinth of the U.S. administration which refuses to legally recognise him. He arrived from Mexico as a child, yet he has been living in Chicago for 29 years... Swiss duo Luc Peter and Stéphanie Barbey give substance to this indeterminate existence by filming Carlos’ simple day-to-day life, made up of work, family celebrations and love.
Carlos was a child when he arrived from Mexico with his parents and brothers, immigrating to Chicago in 1993. 30 years later, Carlos has yet to return to the country from which he comes. He cannot leave the United States – or even Illinois – with the certainty that he would be allowed to return. Every time he leaves his home, he fears an encounter with the police, who could deport him. Carlos is one of the 2 million “Dreamers”, illegal immigrants who lived a normal American childhood before being deprived of all their rights when they turned 18. “Even though I see myself as an American, and see America as my home, I can be deported at any time. My country doesn’t see me as one of its citizens.” Carlos’ almost whispered voice-over is sober and discreet. Director duo Luc Peter and Stéphanie Barbey film Carlos in his cautiously restrained daily life, the black and white picture underscoring his existence in the shadows, accompanied by the ever-present, intimate but never invasive camera, giving substance to his ambiguous existence.
Madeline Robert
Les années Schwarzenbach, 2010
