Last year there was a pregnancy obsession floating through the cultural zeitgeist ("Waitress," "Juno," Knocked Up"). Based on the handful of films I've seen of late, it would seem that many filmmakers' attention has shifted to a muse with more serious implications—illegal immigration. From "A Day's Work," the Gen Art Film Festival short that just won the top prize for Narrative Filmmaking at the Student Academy Awards, to new indie films like "Frozen River" and "Paraiso Travel," issues like human smuggling, under the radar workers and a naturalization system that makes the American Dream unattainable for most, are getting big screen play for the first time.

Writer-directors Shih-Ching Tsou and Sean Baker's realistic narrative film, "Take Out," which premiered at the 2004 Slamdance Film Festival, tackles the topic to gut-wrenching results. Following the a day-in-the-life of Ming Ding, an illegal Chinese immigrant working as a deliveryman in New York City, the film explores the stark financial reality faced by aliens who pay exorbitant fees to sneak into our country. Forced by difficult circumstances to take money from a vicious loan shark, Ming, who barely speaks a word of English, has 24 hours to hustle up $1,000 cash—or face dire physical consequences.

As he bikes through the rainy streets of Manhattan hoping to make enough money in tips to pay off his debt, the filmmakers explore the underlying racial tensions that guide our social interactions at every twist and turn. Order up some "Take Out," and you're sure to look at urban melting pot life with a fresh perspective—or at the very least, upgrade from rounding up to the nearest dollar to the 20 percent standard.

Look for "Take Out" in San Francisco theaters later this month.

- Caroline Stanley

Similar Topics:film, immigration, indie

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