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Someone Else's America

Play trailer Someone Else's America R 1995 1h 36m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Running a small bar called the Paradiso in Brooklyn, N.Y., Alonso (Tom Conti), a Spanish immigrant, has to support not only himself and his mother, but also his friend Bayo (Miki Manojlovic) as well. An illegal alien from Montenegro, Bayo makes a pittance working for a toxic-waste collection crew, attempting to save up enough money to bring his wife and three children to America. Even while working hard day and night, however, the friends find the American dream frustratingly out of reach.

Critics Reviews

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Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle Rated: 3/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Jul 5, 2005 Full Review Monica Hayde Palo Alto Weekly Rated: 3/4 May 20, 2003 Full Review Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice Delves into the bittersweet dreams and difficulties of immigrants and the alliances they forge in order to keep their souls allive. Aug 26, 2002 Full Review James Berardinelli ReelViews Rated: 3.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member What a movie! This co-production from Yugoslavia / UK / France / Germany / Greece was a real life drama with few faults and lots of soul! Written by Gordan Mihic and directed by Goran Paskaljevic, at the time two of the Yugoslav movie creating legends, this movie takes you to the United States where follows immigrants (illegal and legal) living their life in the Big Apple. The story opens in Brooklyn, across the East River from Manhattan, where the skyscrapers loom like a steel-and-concrete promise forever beyond the immigrants' reach. Bayo (Miki Manojlovic), from Montenegro, has been in the United States for less than a year, doing odd-jobs for his Spaniard friend, Alonso (amazing Tom Conti). He tries to save as much money as he can working with a crew of other illegal aliens, wearing a gas mask and cleaning up toxic waste sites. Unexpected events, spurred by the desire of Bayo's oldest son, Luka (Sergej Trifunovic), find all of his family embarking on an ocean voyage to Mexico, where a "travel guide" agrees to take them north of the border. As they cross the Rio Grande -- Bayo's youngest son is swept away in the currents, and the family's subsequent reunion becomes a sad event... What is American Dream for these guys is not an American Dream for the others born in the USA! These people dream differently, think differently and do every single thing differently, adding colour, and passion, lots of love and action to the "black & white" dreaming time. Lovely story, amazing acting and very solid directing with few issues with the editing and the film and cameras used. I hope you'll have a chance to see it soon! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Someone Else's America

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Running a small bar called the Paradiso in Brooklyn, N.Y., Alonso (Tom Conti), a Spanish immigrant, has to support not only himself and his mother, but also his friend Bayo (Miki Manojlovic) as well. An illegal alien from Montenegro, Bayo makes a pittance working for a toxic-waste collection crew, attempting to save up enough money to bring his wife and three children to America. Even while working hard day and night, however, the friends find the American dream frustratingly out of reach.
Director
Goran Paskaljevic
Producer
David Rose, Helga Bähr
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
Serbian
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.0K
Runtime
1h 36m
Sound Mix
Surround