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| Rosalinda (Talia Rothenberg) America (Lymari Nadal) in America. |
Sonia Fritz's America starts off proving that ugly things do indeed happen to beautiful people (in beautiful places) as our lead, America (Lymari Nadal), is abused by her husband, Correa (Yancy Arias) in Puerto Rico. Their fourteen-year-old daughter, Rosalinda (Talia Rothenberg) has run away to be with the love of her life and Correa blames America for allowing Rosalinda to repeat the same mistake that America made -- although Rosalinda is not pregnant.
As a result, America is forced to flee by herself to New York, where her stepfather, Irvin (LALIFF co-founder Edward James Olmos), has secured her a nanny job. While America has work and family, she bonds with other foreign nannies, who are only too happy to remind her that she has it easy as she's an American citizen. And it's true. Being from Puerto Rico, America can work and live legally in the United States while her gal pals often fear deportation.
America, unfortunately, cannot decide if it is a part-time thriller, comedic romance, ode to the love (and strife) families endure, or an homage to self-reinvention, opportunity and the US. Additionally, some of the characters, especially Correa, come across as caricatures. "See what you provoke me to do?" asks Correa to America after he beats her and "Do what you do best," when he wants her to mouth his member. Oh, she mouths off on it all right.
Despite the film's typical, thriller-esque music and poor direction, some of America's merit rests in its portrayal of strong, righteous women helping each other overcome terrible obstacles.
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