Original subtitles

Come on. Indlo.

Come on

Roberto, get back to the house

Robertol

Get back to the hous& -I’m on my way.

Pedrol

Honey?

Honey, where are you?

What’s going on?

She’s waking lip.

Sit down.

Guess I might as well.

Did you work hard?

Same as always.

Hey, why are you always crying?

Come to your daddy.

Come to your papa.

Now you’ii stop cryng.

Hush.

Hush now.

Hushl

You take her.

She deese’t love her daddy.

She deese’t love her daddy.

Talk to me.

You okay now?

Slow down, lndo.

-She’s hungry. -There you go.

Just look at her.

Little crybaby.

She’s hungry.

Mommy doesn’t feed you.

Shall I put this on her?

Don’t suck so hard.

Easy.

So you don’t get cold.

Goon, have all you want.

Didn’t you feed her earlier?

Sure, but she’s always hungry.

Now she’s done.

Come here.

Go with Daddy now.

I’m thinking of crossing the border

and going north. What do you think?

It’s hard to earn much here.

They’re Iayng people off.

If I go, I’ll stay a year.

We can’t make ends meet here.

She’ll have to go to school. She’ll need clothes and all that.

I’d rather you didn’t go, but I guess...

whatever you want.

In sx months I’ll make enough to come back home.

That should be enough.

Then we won’t have to eat so many potatoes.

That’d be a nice change.

Dear Virgin of Guadalupe, who appeared here be/ow,

ease, dearest Mother, all my sorrow and woe.

You’re gong off just like your father Alberto dd.

And he never came back.

Don’t go, son. Please.

Don’t worry, Mama. I’ll make lots of money in the U.S.

Give me a little smile.

You can do better than that.

That woman!

Come onl

I’m a poor little deer who fives in the hills

I’m not very tame, so/don’t come down in dayIi’ht

/come down at n,#ht

Straight into your arms, my love

/climbed the hi’hest hill to look out over the plains

Hawks don’t rule where eagles soar

Neither does Ia migra with its chickenshit airplanes

Stand up and proceed do wnhf I.

There are officers waiting at the bottom.

Come out and wa/k toward them.

Don’t run! Stand up and don’t run.

We can see you. Officers are waiting be/ow.

We see you down there in the bushes.

Don’t run.

What?

What’s gain’ on?

Who is this guy?

-I’m just passing through. -I thought you were Immigration.

-Are the tortillas roady? -In a minute.

-And coffee? You want coffee now?

Of course.

Look what turned up out of the blue.

Scared the heck out of us. We thought he was Immigration.

-How about a torhila? -Sure.

Here are the beans. Dig in.

Help yourself.

He’s one of us. There’s a few of us.

We just sleep in different places

so if Immigration comes, they won’t catch us all at once.

Bring it closer.

Don’t be embarrassed. We’re all friends here.

Dig in, guys. We gotta get going.

You think there’s a chance I could get work here?

Sure, someone will hire you.

Just don’t ask questions.

Tell the boss you’re just here to work.

Don’t ask quesUons. That’s all.

So you want to work here?

-Hey, the beans will burn. -No, they won’t.

-Take ‘em off now. -They’re good, huh?

-Where are you from? -Mchoac?n.

-Lots of michoacanos here. -What about you guys?

I’m from Guanajuato.

-What about you? -Guadalajara.

And you?

Zacatecas.

We’re from all over the place.

Puebla. Everywhere.

All over the place.

When did you cross the border?

Yesterday?

Where’s the sugar?

What kind of work is there around here?

Picking tomatoes.

Want a chile? -Sure.

Seems a little rotten.

Watch out for Immigration as you come cut.

They’re around a lot now.

Yeah, you’ll get work. Just stick with us.

We’ll teach you everything.

Move it, man. You’re falling behind.

It’s Ia mi’ra, boys! Let’s go!

RunI

Howd it go?

They cleaned us out again early in the day.

That one’s sharp. F-Ic got away.

See you tomorrow.

Hey, what about my pay? You’re the one who hired me.

Hey, you hired m&

You hired me!

You’re the one who hired me!

You want work?

Like this.

This is a good size for the baskets.

-What about this one? -That’s good too.

-Okay to turn ‘em over? -Yes. That’s the sze.

Can you make money here?

Don’t let ‘em see you. Watch, like this.

Where you headed when you’re done here?

When I’m done here? I don’t know.

I don’t know these parts.

Have one if you’re hungry.

The man’s right there.

Look. Watch this.

Don’t be scared.

-The black dog came after me. -Their black dog?

You car make good money here. -That’s what I came for.

Here’s where we’ll stay.

It’s a chicken coop.

Didn’t you know they call us illegals p0//os?

Come on in. Make yourself at home.

Don’t be scared.

Just needs a quick cleaning.

Come on in. Welcome.

Have a seat.

Here’s a blanket.

Some pants.

Nice and clean.

A shirt.

You can shower over there.

My name’s Joe.

Roberto.

-Nice to meet you. -Likewise.

Welcome. This is your home.

It’ll do, right? You can sleep here.

-It’ll have to do. -That’s hght. It’s all we’ve got.

Hey, watch this.

You’re already drivin’ the girls crazy.

But you’ve got a lot to learn.

You gotta smile. A confident little smile.

Watch me.

Let’s see you now.

But why?

So you can learn.

Look confident. Like this.

Go ahead. Look confident.

-Why? -So you can learn.

So the gtls will look at you.

Like the gringos do it.

That’s it! -Show ‘em your teeth.

-But why? -So you can learn!

So the gringos will look at you. Watch — it’s easy.

You try. Look confident.

Now for your first lesson.

Pay attention.

Lessor number one. Watch.

This is the coffee shop, and you’re gonna go in.

You open the door confidently,

wth a smile.

You look around at everyone.

You walk confidently

and st down at a table.

Always cross your legs.

Look confident.

You pck up the menu.

You read it.

You wait for the waitress.

What’s the first thing you always order?

Tortillas and beans, right?

Here in the U.S. you ask for ham, eggs, and coffee.

Now you do it, and look conhdent.

Just once, so you can learn.

Goon! Don’t be scared.

Give it your best. This is the coffee shop, and you walk in.

I’m the waitress.

Berto’s the waitress.

You come in and sit down.

Smile and look conNdent.

And now you order...

And if the waitress Es pretty, talk to her.

Give her a little kiss.

But I’m married.

That’s in Mexico.

Here you gotta act like the people here.

Here we’re all unattached.

Got that?

But I’m marhed.

Beerl

What’s your name? -Tavo.

I’ll speak Enghsh like you guys by the time I go back.

You’ll be a real gringo.

A httle toast. -Sure.

What’s the name of the town we’re going to?

That’s where we’re headed tomorrow.

There’s good money there.

That what I want, man. Money.

-We all need money. -I sure do.

We’ll work the lettuce fields. It’s good money.

Come on.

Another car will come along soon.

Look at this.

-What’s that? -My green card.

It cost me$40, but t was worth it.

He told me we can’t hitchhike. -Whatli we do?

He’ll be gone in a minute. We’ll catch a ride soon.

Ftst we wait for the tran.

We hop on that and ride to Stockton.

We make some money picking lettuce,

then we get ourselves some beer and some girls, okay?

Sounds good

What are we gonna do?

Hit that button.

Ah, it’s for the windows.

Hit that button on your right.

Look at that! Up and down.

Let’s go to Florida.

Put your seatbelt on. It’s on your right.

-How? -Just pull it like ths.

Let it go all the way back in, then pull.

Now stick it in there.

Fasten it.

Look at the setup over there.

Put your arm through there.

Okay, here we go

We’re riding in style now.

-What’s that for? ? Like the gringos.

Look at this.

This is really great.

It’s so comfortable. -Look in the mirror.

This is really comfortable.

Look at the cars down there.

The train’s moving.

Look.

Let’s eat here.

Wave hi to the girls.

The one in the pants.

No, I don’t like that place.

How about somewhere that serves carnitas?

Let’s get some taquitos.

-Uh-oh, copsl -What?

Get down, man. I don’t believe it!

Get down.

Hey, cut it oufl

Cut it out, man

Cut it autl

Get this thing off m&

They can’t do anything.

They can’t catch us up here.

Do like I showed you.

You enter my solitude

Your smile lights up my darkness

Your body next to mine

/truly do need you

If only for a while

Your pass/on eases my pain

Hey, you missed some.

I thought you didn’t want those.

Yeah, put ‘em in the bucket.

Working hard?

Very hard.

Let’s go.

One, two, three, four...

thirteen.

Thirteen?

Then 13 more.

-How’s it goin? -See ya around.

Sharon.

What’s up, man?

I got another job.

It pays better.

I’m gonna be rollin’ in dough now.

What do you think?

What do you thind?

Work.

How’s it look?

Very nice.

It’s going to Mexico.

Toni’ht I give you a scarf

So you//come dance with me

My hearts full of affection

Thai Igladly offer to you

Tonight your eyes are shining

Like mirrors reflecting my love

Your sm//es like the new moon

Playing hide-and-seek

La migra! Out the back!

Ills ga/s.1 Anyone without papers!

Out the back.’

Stand against the wall.

Any matches or cigarettes?

What’s your name?

Roberto what?

Ram irez.

Good-bye, California

They’re taking me away

But I’ll a/ways cart>’ you with me

God willing, I’ll return veiy soon

I’m leaving my experiences behind

/will return

Dear Loro grant me this much

Let me have your attention, men.

Please.

You all know...

it costs$200 to get to the U.S. to find work.

Right?

Well, you bums got lucky.

You won’t have to pay a single peso.

If you’re hard workers and are really looking to work,

I can take you there, and t won’t cost you a peso.

Why would I do this?

Because I like you so much?

You’re all smart guys, right? I can’t fool you.

The thing is, there’s a strike going on in Colorado,

and they need men like you to pick melons.

So if you want, you can go now and pay later.

The$200 will come out of your pay.

But that won’t be a problem.

Listen, I just got back from Colorado.

They’re paying better than in California.

So how many are Enterested? Come on.

Have a beer on me after you sign up.

I want to go too.

I’m a hard worker, and I have a daughter.

Let me finish with the men first.

Then I’ll see what I can do, okay?

Don’t worry.

Its just on the other side, see?

The worst is over.

Tomorrow morning a truck will pick you up

and take you to Colorado, where you’ll make good money.

So relax for now, and by tomorrow...

you’ll be makng good money.

Get up. Come on.

Get up. On your feet.

The food’s here.

Albertol

Ram irez!

That’s my dad

This is where your father lived.

It’s not much.

A broken-down bus.

-They always live like this? -Sometimes, man.

This is where your old man lived.

What’s that?

This is all he left behind.

He could read English.

Oh yeah. He spoke it well.

-What’s this? -Glycerin.

-What for? -It’s medicine for his heart.

He was sick, poor guy.

A postcard.

What’s this?

A letter.

That’s not my mother.

He was married here to —

Look, this is a$50 money order

from Alberto Ramirez to Mrs. Grace Ramirez.

That was her name.

They don’t live far from here.

I can take you there if you’d hke.

Its just a few hours.

I don’t like this food.

I don’t like this food.

I wanna go hom&

I wanna go hom&

It’s good food.

-I don’t like it. -Look, beans.

They’re good and fresh.

Good fresh beans

and tortillas.

I don’t like this food!

With tortillas?

They’re good beans.

I don’t like this food!

-Help me, boss! -What am I supposed to do?

Help m&

Get me outta here nowl

Eat something, man.

You’re gonna get sick.

Eat somethng.

I want to leave.

Right now

You car leave tomorrow.

I want to go now. -Have a taco.

I don’t warna eat. I wanna leave right now.

I don’t wanra be here.

We’ll work a few days, and then we’ll go.

Just wait. What can we do without money?

I don’t want to be here!

How are you?

Where are you going? -Back to Mexico.

You have papers?

You’ll have to come with me.

Do you have papers? Are you sick?

What’s going on ma’am? What’s the problem?

Are you sick, ma’am?

My baby’s comirg

This woman is having a baby

Cover her up.

A httle more.

You’re almost there. -My baby!

Do you want an ambulance, rnaam?

There, it’s out.

It’s a boy.

Is my baby all right?

Let me see him.

Lift him up so she can see him.

My son.

He’s a little man.

He was born here.

My son will have papers.

He can work here, back and forth.

Yes, he was born here, sweefie.

/went up nail/i as an alambrista

Not knowing what to expect

Back on the farm I left behind

My daughter, my wife, and my poor mother

One ni’ht like a ittle deer

/crossed over from T/juana to San Diego

La migra caught a/most all of us

God knows how Igotaway

/don’t know how/did it,

but here/am to tell the tale.

In the fields Imet other pollos

Who taught me all the ropes

Like how to order ham and eggs in English with a smile

Beta and Joe taught me that

Joe was a good friend/c me

And took me with I iith to Stockton

Hanging on for dear life beneath a train

Poor Joe me/h/s fate on those tracks

/was lost on the streets of Stockton

When a waitress defended me from attack

And/a/most stayed with$haron

Who shared her house and her affect/on wllh me

/picked grapes and cucumbers

And sent money back home to my wife

But Ia migra nabbed me ata dance

And! landed back hi Tijuana

Like the wind beneath a starrj sky

Me and some others crossed the desert

A gringo rancher had h/red us

Anda coyote took us to Colorado

Beneath a sun the co/or of copper and blood

/worked as a scab

lask the Virgin’s forgiveness

For any harm /caused others

There/came across my father

I-/is head gave out ri’ht in the fields

He never knew /was at his side

The son he abandoned

Little dove flying home to my land

I’m flying n’ht behind you

I’m going back to see my family

And lay my head at their feet