Chairs ruffled creating static across the room, last Thursday as students and panel faculty politically analyzed and engaged React To Film’s screening of “Who Is Dayani Cristal” in the bottom of the SIS building. As the lights switched off and the screen descended from the ceiling, the stories of political horror and unrest began to project onto the audience.
The featured film “Who is Dayani Cristal?” followed the pulseless body of an illegal immigrant who made his way across the Mexico-Arizona border only to die under mysterious circumstances. The only difference however between this body and the thousands of others found on the border, is that this one has the name Dayani Cristal tattooed on his chest. In response to this peculiar discovery, the film showcases both U.S. and Latin American agency’s racing against time to find the real identity of the body recovered by U.S. border police .
The film features an array of people discussing and critiquing a bigger issue at hand; immigration reform. “Who is Dayani Cristal?” showcases the mourning family of the recently deceased along with many of Cristal’s past friends. This film however, takes an unexpected turn when half of the documentary is matched up with the fictional story of a Latino character that, for similar reasons like Cristal, illegally crosses the border into America.
While the documentary aspect of the film was very compelling, the fictional story line and cinematography revolving around actor Gael Garcia Bernal’s (“Amores Perros”) character resembled the look and style of a Levi’s jean commercial than a film with a strong political message.
After the viewing, React To Film introduced their three panel speakers including Blanca Hernandez, a paralegal in the D.C. area, Daniel E. Martinez, an assistant professor of Sociology at George Washington University and Joy Olson, the Executive Director at the Washington Office on Latin America.
Each panelist had their fair share to say as many discussed the topics of illegal immigrant hearings in American court and the true reasons for people illegally entering the U.S., as well as how Americans view illegal aliens. React To Film’s screening was educational as well entertaining, and was a great way to spend a Thursday night, away from all the stresses caused by midterms.
