Immigrants
 Immigration is all the rage of late, and it's making me think of the film Dirty, Pretty Things. It is not a film for the faint of heart, but it does a remarkable job of showing the struggle and psychology of immigrants. So much of the film is shot at night, or in close quarters. With that cinematography you get a peek into a little world that is either hiding or ignored right under your nose.
I liked the variety of immigrants as well: a Chinese technician working and often sleeping in the morgue. He's one that's "made it." There is also the African political refugee suffering from paranoia, insomnia, and the crushing weight of personal misfortune. The young Turkish girl with daydreams of New York. They and many others occupy this underworld in public spaces that we frequent: the hotel, the hospital, and the taxi. A major success of the film is capturing immigrants on the high and low end of the spectrum - from women who work in sweat shops to Somali political refugees. The protagonist is definitely high end: a professional, educated man who sinks beneath himself to survive.
In a world of risk and reward they know that success in living in the first world is worth considerable - and I must emphasize this without revealing the plot - considerable gambles with chance. Much of what is characterized in the current debate as lawful and unlawful is not considered by many immigrants. When the reward for risk is survival, then that risk takes precedence over whatever social and civic forces may surround the situation.
I remember when I was working in California and happened upon an Iranian man. At the age of 18 he and his cousin had been sent from Iran to try to find there way to America. They were sent because Iran still employed something of a draft and had been enmeshed in a long war with Iraq. Recalling the notion of risk and reward, theirs was the risk of getting lost or killed en route via India, versus fighting a pointless war in which Saddam was freely using chemical weapons. The man I spoke to had managed not only to get to the US, but also complete his college education and get a job as a journeyman programmer.
And so the story goes for so many people, the main consideration for whom is risk and reward. Dirty, Pretty Things is a stark tale of risk and reward, but it's not uncommon. If you open your eyes you'll see immigrants everywhere who operate on that premise.
9:54:35 PM 
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