Alambrista!

Director: Robert M. Young, Robert M. Young, Robert M. Young, Robert M. Young, Robert M. Young, Robert M. Young

1977 / 110min / 35mm

Alambrista! took Cannes by storm, scoring the Camera d’Or while breaking new ground showing a side of Chicano life previously little reflected on the big screen. Roberto (Domingo Ambriz) makes his way over the Mexico-US border into California following the birth of his first child, but while searching for a better future he finds something other than golden opportunities waiting on the other side. Young’s long career in documentary is evident in Alambrista!’s unpolished, immediate handheld style, which conveys the disorientation of its protagonist as he’s faced by an alien—and often hostile—culture. “A small, gentle, beautifully made film… Has an unexpected intimacy.”—The New York Times Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

With Sandra Schulberg in person August 13