Review of A Better Life (2011) by Charlie S — 01 Feb 2012

A solid drama, but a lot of it feels really forced. I never really felt like the son was a believable character--he seemed to act more in the best interest of the script than in what an actual 14 or 15-year-old would think is his best interest.

I also wasn't crazy about the aunt....her only purpose seemed to be to stand for some vague higher ground of morality, stability and success. the story itself is OK--very realistic conflict that was overall pretty well-handled.

unfortunately, as I already mentioned, this is just a very forced movie. it wants you to feel very specific emotions and has a very distinct sociopolitical consciousness. it's a compelling enough story on its own; it just needed a little breathing room.