MARISOL: An American Nightmare

There are a lot of movies that like to take on public issues silently, hiding them in the background and letting us figure out exactly what they are talking about for ourselves. Marisol is not one of those films, it tackles the issue at the heart of the story head on in a very direct and deliberate way. The story they chose to tell for this teen coming-of-age story happens to be one that is talked about heavily in every day life, immigration.

We first meet Marisol (Esmeralda Camargo), our titular character, helping someone in her town tend to his horses. It’s very clear early on that she is a very hard-working young woman who happens to have her sights set firmly on going to college soon. She receives her letter showing that her financial aid has been approved and is completely overjoyed. Everything is going great until the night of a party that she had no business being at in the first place. When Marisol accidentally hits another student, Justin (played by Theo Taplitz), with a Roman candle, his racist underpinnings come to the surface and he vows to get her deported.

Marisol’s mother brought her to America when she was only six months old, something that happens all the time in real life, and like reality, she soon is having to face those actions. A phone call to her aunt puts her in a panic, just finding out the night the police are looking for her that she is undocumented. This revelation sets up a series of events that keep Marisol on the run for the duration of the film.

A Beautiful Look At A Horrible Thing

The film was directed by Kevin Abrams from a screenplay penned by Claire Audrey Aguayo, and is a hard look at the challenges and fears facing so many young immigrants. Abrams did a fantastic job keeping everything grounded and firmly set in reality, as hard as it was to look at during certain scenes. This was due solely to the subject matter and the huge levels of unfairness that is imposed on children who had no choice but to be where they are. The camera work is nothing groundbreaking (it’s very straightforward) but it is a beautiful film to look at despite the heaviness of the story.

Aguayo wrote a powerful script that can easily resonate with millions of young people going through the exact same thing. The language and actions of others in this situation are things that we all wish weren’t a reality but everyone has to confront at some point. It is a hard topic that has to be addressed in order for any real change to take place. The goal of the film was to bring light to something that is horrible and hard to look at, and in that, it succeeded.

Coming Of Age The Hard Way

Like I stated earlier, the title character of Marisol was played by Esmeralda Camargo and what a beautifully emotional performance she turned in. I was watching in awe and really feeling her heartbreak every time something went wrong. Camargo really turned in a commanding and believable portrayal of a seventeen-year-old having her entire world turned upside down. I think it would be hard for anybody to watch what she did with the part and not have their heart break just a little bit for her.

On the other side of that coin was Justin (Theo Taplitz) who I decided to give the rap name of, “Young Racist The Male Karen,” to. He really brought the goods when it came to his character if by “the goods” we are talking about being a completely horribly and misguided person. This was the first time I’ve come across this young actor and he really made me loath that character. Honestly, that is the sign of a strong performance. Taplitz did a fantastic job.

Conclusion:

Marisol was a hard look at an uncomfortable topic but I felt that it was necessary. It was well done by everyone involved because I think it was obvious to all of them the sensitivity of the subject matter which only elevated them to another level. As far as recent indie films go, this was top of the pile and I mean that in the most compassionate and complimentary way possible.

This is definitely a film that is going to stick with me for a while, from the acting to the cinematography, everything was handled with care. Marisol dared to tackle the subjects of racism and immigration and succeeded in every way, bringing out of the shadows something that a lot of people like to pretend doesn’t exist. I think that this is a film that needs to be seen be as many people as possible, it’s poignant and telling of the current climate in America. Honestly I went into this movie blind, not knowing at all what to expect and was blown away by its message. See this movie.