For My Daughter (2022) Film Review
The illegal immigration issue is very difficult to approach without showing at least a little bias. It’s a reality that some may come to justify from a human rights point of view, and others use it as means to spark an interesting debate about progress and the never ending drive to look for better conditions. We’ve certainly seen a fair dose of films that depict that harrowing situation. However, few films remain as observant as For My Daughter. This is a very sober script that relies heavily on the viewer’s opinions for effect. As I saw it, I just kept on thinking if it was all worth it. How far would you go to be someone in life? That’s a very usual question. But the real question differs: You want to be someone, but for whom?
In For My Daughter, a family goes through the usual conflict of illegal immigration as they become the perfect model for seeking a better lifestyle. In this small nucleus of a family, there’s more than mere disappointment. Happiness is not part of their condition.
The tradition begs for them to try harder to comply with their dreams. But a set of tragedies are enough to make them think otherwise. Sometimes, you have to land. And sometimes, you simply should think about taking off.
There isn’t a twist in For My Daughter. The film goes on exactly as you would have thought after its very linear first act. The mood and pace change drastically after a clear failure, and the film gets a bit confusing in its chronology. When it tries to be something else entirely, For My Daughter misses a few marks.
Nevertheless, it’s a very honest depiction of a subject that we need to make evident. When For My Daughter remains as a human story about shattered expectations and the inevitable deterioration of illegal aliens, it’s very interesting. When it isn’t loud, the viewer gets the opportunity to reckon about a side of reality they’re maybe not familiar with.
I like to think it’s a matter of audiences. There are some films that simply move differently and affect people in a very distinct way. As for me, I’m an immigrant and I did things by the rule. But this doesn’t mean desperation can’t drive you to do something dangerous and risky. Morals are a huge matter to consider when as viewers, we need to evaluate rooting for a character or not.
The leader of the family in For My Daughter is a desperate man. He needs to provide, but he just doesn’t know how to be the best father he can be. Fortunately, the film adds the essential ingredient to the question: he isn’t alone. He’s accompanied by a strong woman who decides to act but is shadowed by the tradition of families that play by a code we need to erase: a sexist consideration for uniting souls.
Yes, I know this isn’t the subject at hand, and For My Daughter tells another story. It’s just that I couldn’t stop thinking about it after that awkward sequence when grown men decide over the fate of someone else. Ironically, immigration isn’t part of this conversation because it’s a natural path for most. They know they will try something and they will go for the best. And the best represents risking your life, and that of your loved ones, to achieve a dream that’s really not the same for everyone.
For My Daughter isn’t realistic, but it does enough in the dramatic department to show a reality that’s far more relevant than we think.
