What ‘Bridge of Spies’ Gets Right About America
A ten-year-old Steven Spielberg movie starring Tom Hanks may seem a strange inspiration to fight anti-immigration in 2026, but that’s exactly what Bridge of Spies provides.
immigration
‘A Fox Under a Pink Moon’ Shows a Primal Method for Survival
In one of A Fox Under a Pink Moon’s sharpest insights, imagination is one of the few available means of surviving a crisis.
The Jewish Immigrant Song
Jewish immigrants music-saturated synagogues and rich theater, flavored with humor and lament, were a magical formula for the birth of the American Songbook.
The DNC Misses a Beat: A Political History of Migration through Latinx Pop Songs
What should we understand as the connection between politics, people, and places? Can Latinx pop songs be trusted to represent us?
Crime and Prejudice: NYPD’s Italian Squad
Past is prologue in NYPD history The Italian Squad: opposition to immigration; institutional racism; political surveillance and repression; police corruption and brutality.
Embodying the Mexico-US Border with Virtual Reality and Other Imaginings
Iñárritu’s VR experience Carne y Arena, Vizcarra’s documentary La Línea, and Rivera’s sci-fi film Sleep Dealer create unconventional imaginings of the Mexico-US border.
Ambiguous Loss and Migrant Emotions in Animated Comedy ‘Vivo’
Overlooked at the 2022 Oscars, Kirk DeMicco’s animated comedy Vivo expresses the “Trump-era anxiety” and ambiguous loss surrounding transnational migration.
TIFF 2021: Immigration Influenced ‘Silent Land’ Challenges Easy Judgement
Resisting the temptation to critique the bourgeoise, Aga Woszczyńska’s’ Silent Land, screened at TIFF 2021, is shaped by Europe’s immigration crisis.
TIFF 2021: Immigration Film ‘The Odd-Job Men’ Asks for Empathy
Director Neus Ballús’ The Odd-Job Men (Sis dies corrents), playing at TIFF 2021, encourages our better angels amidst fear of change.
Between the Pages of Contemporary Asian American Literature
There’s an evolution in contemporary Asian American literature from the usual immigrant story to something more nuanced and varied, something that’s more reflective of the varieties of “Asian Americaness”.
Delgres and the 4:00 AM Immigrant Blues
The sophomore LP from Paris-based blues-rock trio Delgres, 4:00 AM, is a cohesive and moving response to the forced migration of people of the Global South.
Sundance 2021: Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Animated ‘Flee’ Leaves You Speechless
Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated Flee fearlessly discusses the value of life, the arbitrary inhumanity of immigration law, and the resilience of family, borders, and identity.