Jose Antonio Vargas and Documented

What to say about a man who comes to the US at twelve, wins a Pulitzer, ends up on the cover of Time, comes out as gay, and then announces he's been an illegal alien for 20 years? Whatever you may think of him you can't call him a bore. Vargas's manic energy seems to be fueled by a deep seated anger at the life he's been handed, which paradoxically gave him everything and more. His passion for a new immigration policy is clearly fueled by personal matters (like seeing his dad about 7 times in his life, and being away from his mom for 20 years). Vargas is a man on a mission. He's a reluctant leader but leads - and people follow a man who knows where he's going. We follow Vargas as he criss crosses the US, speaking up on immigration rights, finally ending up in Washington where he gets his 5 minutes in front of Senator Patrick Leahy (and Co., including the execrable Ted Cruz).

Documented marries the personal and the political in a way many films want to but few manage to achieve. A heart breaking Skype conversation with his mom in Manila boils the problem of the immigrant down to its essence. The trauma of immigration - illegal or not - is never fully resolved. We all carry memories from our heritage country into the host land and reconciling past and present is sometimes more than our psyches can handle. We watch Vargas, the warrior for social justice, melt as mom comes on the line. He apologizes. She wants him to know she sent him away for his own good; because there was nothing in Manila for him. He knows, he knows. He sends her things, money, and more, but what she wants is to caress his face - yet she can't. The law prevents it.

Documented is a very good - perhaps excellent - film. Rarely have the issues been so carefully yet forcefully explained, and rarely have we met such a charismatic activist for social justice. Vargas is a complicated man. His talents saved him - at least for now. There are 11 million other undocumented immigrants who's stories may not be as stellar, but who nonetheless need a path to citizenship which - as of this writing - still doesn't exist.

http://documentedthefilm.com/

Comments

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