Blood of My Blood (2007)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Despite a good cast and great directing, the first noticeable thing about Sangre De Mi Sangre is the improbabilities of the screenplay. Pedro a young man easily crosses over the Mexican/U.S. border with a truck waiting (unhidden) to take illegal immigrants on a rather rapid, non-stop trip to New York City. He is looking for his father who he believes is the owner of a French restaurant by stopping at every one listed in the yellow pages. It's like a series of unlikely events.While in the truck he meets Juan and tells him his story. Juan decides to steal Pedro's identity to take advantage of the situation. Pedro tries to find his father by the help of Magda, a rough around the edges girl who uses her smarts to survive. As dubious as the story may seem, it is never predictable. Pedro doesn't fall in love with Magda but does care for her sincerely. Pedro's father Diego doesn't welcome a deceitful Juan in open arms even after he believes that he is his son. However, Diego comes to love Juan and what's strange is that Juan grows to love him as a father too. The relationship between the two of them is the strongest in the film.Pedro's scenario is more of a story of hard knocks. He learns that he can't trust everyone and how to survive on the rough streets. He must do things against his convictions for money even compromising Magda. He's not as cunning as Juan is and is much more noble. The antagonism between the two characters is apparent even though they are only together for two scenes in the film. The actors elevate the weak material particularly Jesus Ochoa (Diego) who manages to make the most mundane things, like sewing faux rose petals, interesting. Armando Hernandez plays Juan's impersonation of Pedro is so believable that if the film began twenty minutes in; there would no reason to believe that he wasn't Diego's son. Jorge Adrian Espindola's (Pedro) innocence and Paola Mendoza's (Magda) brashness compliment each other. It would have been great to see what they could've done if they had better material.

Mr. Zalla is a very good director, he gets wonderful performances from the actors and demonstrates a great sense of visual composition. However the writing is sloppy at best, the story does not hold water, is filled with inconsistencies and maintains a gruesome, almost sordid tone to a movie that could have said just as much about the condition of immigrants without stripping them of their humanity. That the characters are flawed is expected, but must they all be beyond hope of redemption? A day after seeing this movie, I am still making lists of all the details that did not add up or were entirely too coincidental for such an otherwise "realistic" movie. The soundtrack by Brian Cullman is excellent. One wishes there was more of it.

Mexican and Spanish cinema have been giving us some remarkable films lately. From the psychological horror of "The Orphanage" to the complex "Amores Perros", those films are interesting, original, and show us that it is still possible to tell a good story. Here comes a new film, "Sangre de Mi Sangre", and it delivers in all possible ways.The film follows a young Mexican immigrant in his quest to find his unknown father in Brooklyn. Such a quest becomes problematic, as he has no documentation, speaks no English, is illiterate, and he happens to run into another young man who might have an agenda that might become lethal to a few of the main characters in the film."Sangre" is difficult to categorize as it keeps surprising us with the different scenarios it explores. There are moments when it is the other side of the story told in "Under The Same Moon", being so different in his stark and unsentimental approach. In addition to showing the underbelly of a supposedly civilized world, we become witness to the plight of people who have very few resources and sometime fall prey to even their own kind.In this film there are clear differences among the immigrants, shown at times as supportive, but we can also read an undercurrent of resentment and lack of sympathy for individual cases. The film feels very real as it portrays the consequences of living in a world that forces you to ignore your humanity and prevents you from creating any bonds with other people in order to survive. It is an existence where the real self is not allowed to surface because it is too dangerous.The acting in the film is phenomenal as stereotypes are abandoned and individual portrayals show characters ranging from innocent to perverse with much clarity. Even supporting types are given enough time for us to understand how they are important parts of the fabric of society. "Sangre" follows many of the patterns in "No Country for Old Men", with the introduction of another character that has very few if any redeeming qualities, a human being with a past that might be so horrible that it led to the creation of a monster. There are twists and ironies that will leave many in the audience quite upset, and be prepared to face a dark portrayal that offers very little in the way of hope."Sangre" shows what an artist of the technical ability of Scorcese is able to do if he rains himself and keeps control over the story over the technical. It is an amazing work of art, one that will have many discussing it for weeks.

Sometimes a film with certain narrative or structural weaknesses has so much excellence in its content that you are well rewarded if you just throw out your criticisms and enjoy the moments as they unfold."Sangre de mi Sangre" (the better title is the original "Padre Nuestro") was just given two showings at the Chicago Latino Film Festival. It's a film that deserves wider distribution. Perhaps overlong, and with a plot that is rather too complex and relies on coincidence a bit too much, this movie nevertheless sucks you emotionally into the lives of its characters, Mexican immigrants living at the margins in New York City. The core of the movie is the story of the two young Mexicans trying in their separate ways to survive in an alien environment. The plot revolves around stolen identity and personal interconnections as the two protagonists try to gain security through money or through relationships. The story recalls another masterpiece of ambivalence, "The Son", and I'll say no more, except to indicate that the conclusion of the action is richly satisfying, if harsh. Just a word about the performances: the director is clearly a genius at handling actors. The leads give virtuoso turns to their characterizations, and the cast throughout shows never a false note.