I Was Born in Mexico, But...
Introduction
I Was Born in Mexico, But… is a creative portrait of a young woman who thought she was American but finds out as a teen that she is undocumented. Because she doesn’t want to appear on camera, found footage from American culture illuminates her voice as she struggles with her new identity and the reality of not being able to legally drive, work or reside in the U.S.
This poetic film will introduce students of immigration, latinx studies, ethnic studies, sociology, psychology, education, and social work to a personal voice in the immigration debate, speaking about what it’s like to grow up and face an uncertain future as an undocumented young person in America.
In interviews done before DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), the film gives insight into what life was like before DACA was implemented. The subject of the film is a current DACA recipient.
AUDIO DESCRIPTION now available on DVD and New Day Streaming!
Featured review
Synopsis
An unidentified young woman narrates her story, starting with faint memories of crossing the border at age 3: “bits and pieces of dream” of huge lights and people yelling Correle! (Run!) that she wasn’t able to piece together until later. She is a “DREAMer,” one of an estimated 1.4 million undocumented young people who were brought to the U.S. as children. She describes loving elementary school, where she learned English and made a lot of friends, but in middle school she started to have questions: why were her uncles talking about not being able to renew their driver’s licenses? Why was the family not able to travel? Her parents finally break it to her that she wasn’t born here, and from there she is left to figure out a path forward. How will she be able to go to college with no financial aid? Even if she can go to college, is it worth it, since she won’t be able to work in the career she studies? She describes the daily fears of an undocumented person: what happens if I get pulled over, if immigration pops out at my job? And also the struggle for dignity: she wants to be seen as herself- not just an undocumented person.
Reviews
Awards and Screenings
Director Commentary
Features and Languages
Film Features
- Audio Description
- Closed Captioning
- Transcript
- Resources for Educators
Film/Audio Languages
- English
Subtitle/Caption Languages
- English
- Spanish
Promotional Material
Promotional Stills
Resources for Educators
File Downloads
- Study Guide (pdf) file download (265.69 KB)
- English Transcript (pdf) file download (25.78 KB)
I decided to make I Was Born in Mexico, But… after working as an editor on a piece about a high school for recent immigrants. Although there were interesting and important stories to tell about the kids who had come from Mexico, there was no way to include them in that documentary without putting them at risk. So we ended up leaving them out, and that got me thinking about this large group of Mexican immigrants who can’t tell their own stories- can’t show their faces and say their names- without risk of deportation.
Around that same time I met a young person who was undocumented, but who came here when she was so young she didn’t even know she wasn’t born here. She grew up thinking she was American, only to find out when she was a teenager that she didn’t have papers. She was living in a kind of limbo, trying to go to school and stay positive, even though without papers, there weren’t many opportunities.
She was willing to be interviewed, but she didn’t want to show her face on camera. I decided to use educational movies, commercials, and newsreels from the Prelinger Archives to stand in for her during the various points in her narrative. This also turned out to be effective in adding bits and pieces of American life and what it means to be American.