American Visa

Infobox Film
name = American Visa


image_size = 200x325
caption = Film poster
director = Juan Carlos Valdivia
writer = Juan Carlos Valdivia
starring = Demian Bichir, Kate del Castillo
country = Bolivia/Mexico
language = Spanish

"American Visa" is a Bolivia/Mexico-produced film by Bolivian writer and director Juan Carlos Valdivia. The film, from 2005, is set in La Paz, Bolivia, and features many exterior shots of the city and surrounding countryside - a setting seldom seen by film-goers considering the paucity of Bolivian film.

Plot

Mario is a retired English teacher from the Bolivian countryside. Leaving his career, his home, his town and his past, he sets out to follow his dream of seeing the United States. More than just visiting the US, Mario hopes to become a part of the American dream; America to him is opportunity, and stability, a place to escape to from the apparent inadequecies of his own Bolivia and to reunite with his now adult son. But is he really motivated by love for his son? Is he really running away from a country in chaos? Mario arrives in scenic La Paz in order to secure a travel visa. Once there, he meets and befriends the lovely Blanca- an exotic dancer at the local strip club. The two share an immediate attraction despite their vastly different dreams and they quickly fall into a promising relationship which threatens to undermine everything. But Mario is a diligent man, and he is willing to revert to any measure possible to obtain that one thing which he wants most,that one thing which all of us take for granted- a life in the U.S. Will Mario get his visa and live out his dream or will a new love and vision intervene?

External links

* [http://www.digitaljournalonline.com/news/123/ARTICLE/1296/2007-02-17.html/ Interview with Juan Carlos Valdivia about American Visa]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0471565/ American Visa at the Internet Move Database]
* [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:377444~T00/ American Visa at allmovie]