The Caretaker + The Mayor

Two short films on Immigration in the U.S.
by
Year Released
2014
Film Length(s)
18 mins
Closed captioning available
Remote video URL

Introduction

The Caretaker and The Mayor are two powerful short films that explore contemporary immigration issues in the U.S. through intimate portraits of relationships between recent immigrants, and those who came to the U.S. generations ago.

Featured review

The Caretaker is a moving film that honors the experiences of everyday workers, inspiring women, and the bonds of friendship. It's been an important tool to bring into my ESL classroom, and a way for our members to see hard work like theirs celebrated on the big screen.
Ana De Carolis
ESL instructor at Mujeres Unidas y Activas

Synopsis


The Caretaker is a short film about the relationship between an immigrant caretaker and an elderly woman in the last months of her life. Joesy, a Fijian immigrant, works long hours providing live-in care for 95-year-old Haru Tsurumoto. Through intimate and quiet scenes, we explore Joesy's complex relationship with Haru. The two respect one another, because at different times, both have felt like outsiders in the U.S. - Joesy as an undocumented immigrant who fears she could be sent back to Fiji, and Haru as a Japanese American who was sent to the internment camps during World War II.

The Mayor is an intimate portrait of a small-town Southern Republican Mayor and his profound and unexpected connection to a mixed-status family of Mexican immigrants. Paul Bridges, the conservative Republican Mayor of Uvalda, Georgia, speaks fluent Spanish and is integrally connected to the Latino immigrant community in his town. Bridges has been a major part of the Hernandez family's life for over a decade and many of the members of the family are undocumented. After the State of Georgia adopts harsh anti-immigrant laws that make it a criminal act to drive or house undocumented people, Mayor Bridges stands up for his community and the Hernandez family both at home, and on the National stage.

Awards and Screenings

New York Film Festival, 2014
Cannes Film Festival: Special Screening, 2012
Ellis Island: Special Screening, 2014
Tribeca Film Institute Interactive Day, 2014
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 2014
San Diego Latino Film Festival, 2014
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 2014
Ashland Independent Film Festival, 2014

Features and Languages

Film Features

  • Closed Captioning
  • Resources for Educators

Subtitle/Caption Languages

  • Spanish

Promotional Material

Promotional Stills

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