Movie Moles Laurie Mercier and Frann Michel discuss the 1983 film El Norte. Directed and co-written by Gregory Nava, El Norte is an award winning, independent epic US film, notable for centering the experiences of two indigenous Mayan migrants from Guatemala as they move through Mexico and come to work in Los Angeles.
El Norte has been included in the US National Film Registry for its historical, cultural, and aesthetic contributions, and the Criterion Collection produced a DVD version with director's commentary and other special features.
For background information on US foreign and national security policy, Laurie recommends the Digital National Security Archive.
You can find El Norte streaming online to rent, for free but without subtitles on the Internet Archive, and on DVD at the Multnomah County Library.
Image: photo by F. Michel, DVD cover from Multnomah County Library; with painting showing a young woman and man, she wrapped in colorful cloth. In the background below them is a stylized cityscape, above is the silhouette of a bird, with a full moon, and the text El Norte: a film by Gregory Nava.