Entre Nos is a captivating film from the very beginning. It is the story of a family, who has just immigrated to the United States from Cambodia. Mariana's husband left her and their two children, stranded with no hope in Queens, for a job in Miami. After some time Mariana, Gabi, and Andrea are left without a home, without their things or clothing, left to wander the streets, rummaging through garbage.Mariana's role as a mother is portrayed brilliantly. She is strong and yet weak at the same time. She does what she can to provide for her family, without lowering her own morals. In many ways her situation can be applied to more than just immigrant families. Directors/writers Gloria La Morte and Paola Mendoza portray the life of a woman who has been abandoned by her husband, left with nothing of monetary support and with children to care for. The role of Mariana showed that it is possible for someone to put aside their own personal pain, accept their situation, move forward, and even find happiness and moments of joy; if not for themselves, then for the sake of their children.The two child actor/actress have were very effective in expressing the emotions of a particular situation. As the film goes on and the scenes become more and more intense and emotionally wrought, these two excel in their acting abilities. They are able to draw the viewer in to feel the emotions the situation warrants.This film has a happy ending, with the mother finding work and being able to give her children something more. However, there is not really a lot of emphasize put on that. One does not know how exactly Mariana was able to get her job or the details of their life changing for the better after the lady at the apartment helped them. These details are not important to the directors. What seems to be more important is to show the process the family went through to become who they are today. This story, though specific to Mariana and her family, is common place among immigrant families. However, it goes beyond just the common fate of immigrant families to be applicable to anyone and everyone. The idea expressed is that it doesn't matter what life dishes out to you, you can fight it. No matter who you are or where you are from, each person posses the ability to fight for something better and find joy along the way, even in the most miserable and darkest of times. Throughout the film there is an emphasis on the joy that the family finds between each other, in order to endure the hardship and continue fighting for a better life.This film is very well done, with the ideas and concepts being expressed in a very effective way. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Entre Nos is the intriguing true story of a newly immigrated family from Columbia, attempting to assimilate into their new home in Queens, New York. Only being in the United States for two weeks, the father of the family leaves the family for Miami to fend for themselves. Mariana and her two children Gabriel and Andrea are left in New York City with no money and little hope. The struggle that unfolds is Entre Nos.Not only was the acting in Entre Nos fantastic, but the directing and production was equally as well done. Every actor in this film was shown to be capable of emitting perfectly personified emotions. When making a film about such a grave subject, there are a lot of ways in which a director can go. In Entre Nos, the director takes us through the emotional roller-coaster that is Mariana's life and portrays the battle that is being a mother. This amazing story of motherhood follows Mariana and her two children around New York City as they struggle to make ends meet as immigrants in a new country.One of the scenes that caught my attention most in Entre Nos was about two thirds of the way through the film, when, like several other times throughout the film, Mariana goes to a pay phone to call her man that has left for Miami. When she gets to the phone, instead of being tolerant like Mariana normally is, she picks the phone up and after dialing several numbers, almost instantly starts slamming the phone as hard as she can into the receiver. The other times that Mariana called him she either left a message asking him to call her, or left a very angry message. It is very significant to the film that this time she does neither of these. Mariana's frustration is depicted in this scene, and seems like this is how just about anyone would react in this situation. This scene in the film is when Mariana seems to realize that there is no way that she would consider seeing her man again, let alone moving to Miami to find him. The reason that I like this scene so much is that I find the emotions that are shown here seem to be so real. I feel that it is very difficult to capture real emotions on film, especially through actors. However, in this scene we see a perfect portrayal of real emotions. Although I have no idea how Mariana must actually feel, she does a nice job of making me think I do in this scene.Anyone who is a parent will love this movie. Entre Nos does a magnificent job of showing the viewer not only how important mother's are to their children, but also how much of a struggle it can be to relocate a family to a new country. Mariana shows us that although money is a part of being a parent, it is clearly not the most important thing when raising children. From this film, we can see that the most important ingredient in parenting is love. We come to understand this as the film comes to a close, and we see that although Gabriel and Andrea grew up in extreme poverty, they went on to become successful and contributing members of society.

Entre Nos brings out sadness, happiness and anger in its viewers. Entre Nos is a film that will automatically capture the audience and leave them wanting more. It shows how immigrants have a hard time in the United States. The film gives the viewers a look on what it's like to be a single Mom, and all the struggles a single Mom has to go through just to protect her children. Mariana is a superwoman to her children. She is a fighter and an independent woman that knows how to keep going even when things get rough.Entre Nos was directed by Gloria La Morte and Paola Mendoza both women also wrote the film as well. This is very important because this film is about Paola Mendoza's grandmother. This also is a film about all the struggles immigrants have when living in a foreign country. Yet, at the same time showing what single Moms have to go through when raising their kids alone. This film has gotten positive reviews, shown at 14 film festivals and won many awards. This is important because it shows how important and touching the film was to many viewers who have seen it, also showing how serious it is for an immigrant living in the U.S.The characters in the film Mariana, Gabi and Andrea deal with living in the United States as immigrants. It's not easy for Mariana when she has to live in a country where no one speaks Spanish. One specific scene where it shows the affects of people who speak two different languages and tries to carry a conversation is when Joe sent Mariana and her kids to a motel. Mariana was saying, "I can't pay you tomorrow but I can pay you tomorrow." The woman could not understand what Mariana was trying to say, and they almost ended up not having a place to stay. This is symbolic of how difficult it can be when two different languages collide. It also shows how tough Marian has it. One thing about Mariana is that she reminds me of both Tita and Mama Elena in the film Like Water for Chocolate. When Mariana is telling her kids what to do and demanding them to tell her where they are going when leaving, she is just like Mama Elena because of the authority in her voice and all her demands. She is like Tita because she hugs her kids and tells them she loves them. Tita has done that with her niece, nephew, and some of her sisters. Mama Elena has never done that with her kids.The performance in this film was extremely well done by Paola Mendoza. Throughout the film the viewer can see and feel her emotions. Paola Mendoza's strength came out in this film especially in the scene when Mariana, Gabi and Andrea had to sleep at the park. The way Paola Mendoza was holding them in her lap and looking down on them showed how protective a mother is when it comes to their children. When the camera zoomed into her face you can see the emotions in her facial expressions. Paola Mendoza did a powerful job displaying how strong single Moms are when taking care of their children.The lighting in the film gave it a more realistic feel. The lighting was symbolic of safety and protection for Mariana and her two children. In certain scenes there were over-head lights being used. The same scene I mentioned above when Mariana was looking down at her children had the light shining above Mariana's head symbolizing that the viewer should mostly focus on her. I felt the light was symbolic of Mariana being her kid's savior and superwoman. She protects them and keeps them safe. Another scene that used overhead lighting was when they were sleeping on the stairs. The lighting keeps them safe. It also makes them look pathetic because they are sleeping on the stairs looking worn out.The wardrobe in the film represented the characters lifestyle. When Mariana, Gabi and Andrea were homeless, their clothing became dirty looking. When they made enough money to support themselves their wardrobe was nicer looking. The clothing they wore when they were homeless created sadness for the audience and sympathy for them. When they weren't struggling anymore the wardrobe they wore created happiness for the audience.The film did have faults. One thing I noticed was that in one scene when Mariana, Gabi and Andrea first met Joe, Gabi was able to tell his Mom everything Joe said when she couldn't understand. However, when they went to the motel, Gabi couldn't tell his Mom what the lady that worked there was saying. If he can speak English why couldn't he speak for his Mom? That part confused me because I thought since Gabi understood what Joes was saying and was able to translate for him maybe he could do the same for the woman that worked at the motel. Then she could understand what Mariana was trying to say.I thought the film was well directed, acted and written. Paola Mendoza really brought to light what its like for an immigrant to live in the U.S. I love how more realistic this film was compared to Like Water for Chocolate. As a matter a fact, the audience can relate to this film. Everything that happened with Mariana and her children working to support themselves is realistic. Like Water for Chocolate was more about magical realism. I would recommend the film to any single moms who are struggling just like Mariana because the film might bring them encouragement to not giving up. I think immigrants would find the film to be interesting. The viewers will not be disappointed with all the emotions that go on in the story because they get the best of both worlds and different moods from this film which is hope, sadness and happiness.

For a person who enjoys dramas that evoke the rawest of emotions, this was of course a true example. I appreciate experiencing the emotions of characters of whom deal with the most excruciating circumstances. That is what is so great about watching a real film that contains life's most prominent difficulties: taking care of yourself, keeping a family together, and overcoming obstacles.Mariana, the mother of Gabriel and Andrea, is an exemplification of what any mother, or parent for that matter, should do for their children. She made sacrifices for her children so that they might still enjoy the pleasures of being a child, even if they were living on the streets. We see Mariana sit on the sidewalk while her kids go see a movie. She sometimes did not eat so that Gabriel and Andrea could instead.It would have been very easy in this situation for her to abandon the children just as Antonio had; however, she did everything possible in order to care for them. Even though the family suffered financially, there was no lack in the love and support they showed for one another. Gabriel took it upon himself to help collect cans early in the morning. He helped care for Andrea and he shared the emotional despair that his mother felt over losing her husband. Gabriel and Andrea shine throughout the film regardless of the lack of essentials in their lives. Even though Mariana could no longer trust her husband, and no doubt had trouble trusting other people, she found help in Preet, her landlord in the very cheap building the family rented. Nevertheless, Mariana struggles with being pregnant and yet acts as if nothing is in the way of caring for her kids. It has been noted that the image of Mariana on the park bench with Gabriel and Andrea in her lap is comparable to the sculpture of The Pieta by Michaelangelo. Of course, Mariana is much like Mary, the mother of Jesus. They even share similar names. She mourns for her children just as Mary did for Jesus' death. Entre Nos shows the overcoming of an epic struggle against poverty, language barriers, family complications, and so on. At the end of the film, we know that the family has overcome these when we see their faces shining with smiles and their presentable appearances. When Gabriel states on his first day of school that he "spent his first summer in the United States of America," we know that he is content and proud to be there.This film fulfills many common phrases such as, "you don't know what you have until it's gone" or "appreciate what you have." It is true though. It reminds us that love and strength are most important at the end of the day. It shows that sacrifices are not real unless the ones we love most are thought of more than ourselves.