Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Gringos | Indie Film | KickStarter

About:
A group of undocumented immigrants—Alejandro (Rigo Sanchez), Hector (Roberto 'Sanz' Sanchez), Homero (Nicholas Gonzalez, Jesús (David Castro), Memo (Josue Aguirre), Tonio (Thomas Chavira)—are hired by Liz Rhodes (Lynn Collins) and her husband, Ben Rhodes (James Tupper). The Rhodeses explain their house needs quite a bit of work done on it, but they're willing to pay good money for it.

The men agree to do the job. However, this job isn't what it seems. At first, it's little things. There's hair stuck in the power tools. Before they know it, their employers are brandishing guns and holding them hostage. The Rhodeses promise to not give them any problems if the men simply do their work. The men quickly find out working for The Rhodeses is the ultimate job from hell. The property is surrounded by an electrified fence; no one can leave. The men are constantly terrorized by their employers. Whenever the Rhodeses don't get what they want, the men have to clean up the mess they make.

Vital Pictures' Gringos looks like an incredibly frightening movie. Especially since the couple, Liz and Ben, are so normal looking. Watching the teaser makes me wonder about the people I see, and even about my own neighbors. What are they really like? Do I even want to know? Gringos makes me wonder how often this actually happens. The Gringos KickStarter page says the movie is about people with power who take advantage of people who don't have power.

Most people only want to talk about undocumented immigrants committing crimes against, or otherwise hurting, legal citizens of a country, and then getting away with it due to their undocumented status. What if the tables are turned? What about legal citizens who go unpunished for crimes against undocumented immigrants? If someone's undocumented, they can't even do simple things, such as open bank accounts, get a credit card, or buy a car. They also have to take low paying jobs that only pay in cash. Many employers know this fact and exploit the undocumented person. In many situations, he undocumented person can’t negotiate for a better deal. a There have also been documented instances of American employers exploiting guestworkers who work in America due to the H-2B program. These are workers who have paperwork to be in America. b c d

That's what makes Gringos scary. If one is already breaking the law by being in a country illegally, and you don't have any paperwork, who do you turn to for help?

Gringos Crew:
Producers:
Luis Guerrero
Chris Lemos

Director:
Max Pachman

Writers:
Mark Mavrothalasitis
Max Pachman

Campaign Deadline: Thursday, April 7, 2016 1

Release Date: Possibly 2017.

Notes:

  1. All dates are based on Phobophiliacs' location (CST / CDT in the United States). Please check the crowdfunding website for the correct dates based on your time zone. Back


References:

  1. "Risking Life And Limb: Stories Of Undocumented Workers In The US"
  2. Back

  3. "Slavery Is Alive And Well In America, Fueled By The Need For Cheap Labor"
  4. Back

  5. "Employers abuse H-2B program as ‘ultimate tool’ to undercut U.S. workers"
  6. Back

  7. "Recent Court Decisions Put a Sharp Spotlight on U.S. H-2B Temporary Worker Visa Program"
  8. Back

To learn more about Gringos and Vital Pictures, check out:
Facebook
IMDB
Twitter
Vital Pictures Kickstarter Bio Page

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