Feb 24, 2023
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‘Collisions’ Shows Trauma of Deportation
by Jerry McDaniel
Itan, played by Izabela Alvarez, in the new film about the difficulties of being an illegal immigrant, 'Collisions'. photo: R. LevienNOTE: 'Collisions' just got three nominations for the premier Latino entertainment awards, the Imagen, which will be presented virtually Thursday, September 24th, at 5:00 PM. They are also about to choose a distro partner, which will include Amazon.
THIS PAST SUMMER I PUT TOGETHER
and presented an evening of short films by local filmmakers. They included myself, Tom E. Brown (“Pushing Dead”, 2016, see cS article), Jim Granato and Gibbs Chapman as well as few others. It was held at the basement screening room of the famed Shelton Theater on Post Street, in San Francisco.
Richard Levien, a cool local director I know, also offered his short piece, “Immersion” , that took a look at what a kid who speaks no English might go through in an American school.
I knew that Richard’s feature, “Collisions”, starring Jesse Garcia, Izabela Alvarez, Ana de la Reguera and the young Jason Garcia Jr. similarly tackled immigration and ICE. “Collisions” was shot and produced by my friend and next-door neighbor Frazier Bradshaw.
When part of the International Latino Film Festival came to Oakland earlier this year, I was finally able to catch the movie. I was not sorry.
Levien, who holds a PhD. in theoretical physics, told me that the story was inspired by accounts he'd hear from his wife about her work as an elementary school teacher in San Francisco. Although it was written before the current orange flavor took over Washington D.C., infinitely exacerbating the immigrant’s difficulties, it is even more relevant now and a must see.
The main characters are two children, a brother and sister, who arrive home after school to find their mother gone and the apartment trashed. She has been taken by force to an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detention center.
'Ana de la Reguera plays the mom in ‘Collisions'. photo: R. LevienThe elder of the two, the girl Itan, played by Izabela Alvarez, knocks it out of the park with her performance as a smartly-driven immigrant daughter, making her twelve-year-old way in this American “culture.”
The director, in turn, hits a home run as well by capturing some very tender moments between her younger brother Neto (Jason Garcia) and their macho, truck driving uncle, Evencio (Jason’s father, Jesse Garcia), who lives across the Bay (they appear to live in the Mission District of San Francisco).
Evencio reluctantly takes the two kids into his home after hearing that they might be separated through the foster system. Eventually, Itan, who programs her computer to examine all of the ICE detention center rosters, locates her mother and persuades her uncle to drive them to see her. The movie then takes on a bit of an exposé of Evencio’s “trucker life,” which I also found fascinating.
One moment that blew my mind was when the kids finally found their mother. She had been transferred to a detention center somewhere in Southern California that was actually in the basement of a parking garage, no markings, nothing to indicate that there was even a jail there—crazy!
Itan and Neto are taken by their truck driver uncle, Evencio (Jesse Garcia, the father of Jason, who plays Neto), to search for their mother. photo: R. LevienAll of the performances in this poignant gem are worthy of mention. Each one of them deserves the accolades they have already garnered and awards they will get. Ana de la Reguera is quite good as the detained mother trying to let her kids know what has become of her. Jason Garcia is excellent as little Neto. The cinematography by Bradshaw is also excellent.
The movie ends with some nice vignettes over the credits, which kind of tie everything up and give us an idea of what might happen from then on.
Big congrats to cast and crew for a job well done! Can’t wait for the next one, which I hear is in the works!
Jerry McDaniel is an actor, musician and filmmaker, who starred in the breakout Oakland film ‘Everything Strange and New’ (2009) and can be reached . Posted on Dec 02, 2019 - 06:20 PM
by Jerry McDaniel
Itan, played by Izabela Alvarez, in the new film about the difficulties of being an illegal immigrant, 'Collisions'. photo: R. LevienTHIS PAST SUMMER I PUT TOGETHER
and presented an evening of short films by local filmmakers. They included myself, Tom E. Brown (“Pushing Dead”, 2016, see cS article), Jim Granato and Gibbs Chapman as well as few others. It was held at the basement screening room of the famed Shelton Theater on Post Street, in San Francisco.
Richard Levien, a cool local director I know, also offered his short piece, “Immersion” , that took a look at what a kid who speaks no English might go through in an American school.
I knew that Richard’s feature, “Collisions”, starring Jesse Garcia, Izabela Alvarez, Ana de la Reguera and the young Jason Garcia Jr. similarly tackled immigration and ICE. “Collisions” was shot and produced by my friend and next-door neighbor Frazier Bradshaw.
When part of the International Latino Film Festival came to Oakland earlier this year, I was finally able to catch the movie. I was not sorry.
Levien, who holds a PhD. in theoretical physics, told me that the story was inspired by accounts he'd hear from his wife about her work as an elementary school teacher in San Francisco. Although it was written before the current orange flavor took over Washington D.C., infinitely exacerbating the immigrant’s difficulties, it is even more relevant now and a must see.
The main characters are two children, a brother and sister, who arrive home after school to find their mother gone and the apartment trashed. She has been taken by force to an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detention center.
'Ana de la Reguera plays the mom in ‘Collisions'. photo: R. LevienThe director, in turn, hits a home run as well by capturing some very tender moments between her younger brother Neto (Jason Garcia) and their macho, truck driving uncle, Evencio (Jason’s father, Jesse Garcia), who lives across the Bay (they appear to live in the Mission District of San Francisco).
Evencio reluctantly takes the two kids into his home after hearing that they might be separated through the foster system. Eventually, Itan, who programs her computer to examine all of the ICE detention center rosters, locates her mother and persuades her uncle to drive them to see her. The movie then takes on a bit of an exposé of Evencio’s “trucker life,” which I also found fascinating.
One moment that blew my mind was when the kids finally found their mother. She had been transferred to a detention center somewhere in Southern California that was actually in the basement of a parking garage, no markings, nothing to indicate that there was even a jail there—crazy!
Itan and Neto are taken by their truck driver uncle, Evencio (Jesse Garcia, the father of Jason, who plays Neto), to search for their mother. photo: R. LevienThe movie ends with some nice vignettes over the credits, which kind of tie everything up and give us an idea of what might happen from then on.
Big congrats to cast and crew for a job well done! Can’t wait for the next one, which I hear is in the works!
Jerry McDaniel is an actor, musician and filmmaker, who starred in the breakout Oakland film ‘Everything Strange and New’ (2009) and can be reached . Posted on Dec 02, 2019 - 06:20 PM
