One Woman Army

One Woman Army

Once in a while, a breaking news story creates the feeling that it would be great to see the story turned into a movie. Other such movies, which are seemingly based on a true story, elicit an entirely different kind of response ‘Did this really happen? If yes, why was I never aware of it until now’. High-profile prison escapes have become commonplace in this regard. I mean, how many audacious prison break-outs that took place within the last decade can be ignored? Pretty much none.

The film The Infiltrators presents its premise as one that is based on actual events. In 2012, The National Immigrant Youth Alliance members volunteered to be arrested in the for profit Broward Transitional Center in South Florida. Their strategy was to stage a breakout and make sure all the detainees escaped along with them. The movie combines various aesthetics which reflects the theme of the movie.

This film is quite well made if a bit strangely put together. Some will be reminded of Unsolved Mysteries. Real historical characters are interspersed around acted out drama. There are some elements that might come across as improbable and one would think that it should not exactly work. Well, that is not the case here.

The Infiltrators can be considered as a documentary and a prison escape film at the same time. That is an unusual combination but one that directors Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra seem to be able to cope with. This is partly thanks to the ridiculous concept they chose to work with. The strength of the idea is usually what hooks an audience. People seem to enjoy escape films because they provide action. This one does boh. Escape and raw action.

There comes a period in most prison escape movies where the audience becomes fatigued. The clear disconnect is that of the lyrical intensity of the prison break which seems to be in direct opposition of the tone of the documentary. This never happens in The Infiltrators. What happens in this movie is that the plot almost uniformly shifts between the two genres in an effortless manner that keeps the audience entranced.

The Infiltrators is, however, not primarily about style. Also not about the captivating interviews or, for that matter, even the fascinating plot. Most importantly, though, the film raised a number of issues regarding the state of the country. The film concerns itself with the ideas of what is right, what is wrong and how far are people willing to go. Painfully comedic moments are dealt with harshly. The story is relevant to day and cuts across the typical narrative. There is a strong alternative view that has been put across and it has been put across in a very strong manner.

For a long time, immigration has been one of the most controversial issues in America. The Infiltrators addresses this issue through an exciting douc thriller that is also critical of the country. There are times when the thrilling narrative becomes too simple, but the film always retains its audience. In the process it tells us things about the country we probably do not wish to hear.

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