Given the current climate, whereby the vast majority of the Western world seem to be resistant in accommodating refugees, even gathering votes and support for their hesitancy and anti-immigration campaigns – it seems a pertinent issue to explore in cinema, and it’s one that has been presented with a degree of compassion and intelligence in Rafi Pitt’s suspenseful drama Soy Nero.
Nero (Johnny Ortiz) was raised in California, but deported back to his native country of Mexico. After trying – and failing – to illegally enter the United States, he eventually manages to find a way in undetected, and instantly pursues his older brother, Jesus (Ian Casselberry). Though realising that in order to gain citizenship that will allay his fears of being caught by the law enforcement, he intends on becoming a green card soldier, whereby he serves in the American military, with the ambition of gaining official status that allows for him to stay on US soil. While risking his life, alongside fellow soldiers Bronx (Aml Ameen) and Compton (Darrell Britt-Gibson) – it dawns on him that even after putting himself in such danger on the nation’s behalf, it doesn’t guarantee any security for his future.
Soy Nero is an intense cinematic experience, as during the first half of this endeavour we’re left on the edge of our seat anticipating the protagonist’s capture. Without any ID, every police siren we hear, or the roar of helicopters in the sky above fills us with fear, as we embody this nervous young man. It doesn’t ease up either, as in the latter half when Nero becomes a soldier, this time we’re anxious for his life, as he enters into combat. But both acts are bound together by the same cause and objective; Nero wanting to become an American citizen.
Pitts takes a unique approach to this narrative, as despite covering much ground, each scene is pensively constructed, shot almost in real time, as each half represents two separate 24 hour periods for Nero. We linger in certain situations, helping to build tension – even the case when he has to hitch a ride to LA after crossing the border, which is a lengthy sequence. So many small details are included, such as when he arrives as the garage his brother works at. He asks to see Jesus and the receptionist tells him to wait a while, so he does, and in turn, so do we. Pitts just leaves the camera to sit there and we watch as these scenarios play out in front of us in real time.
But Soy Nero does feel like two different films merged together, and during the second act we lose our way somewhat. We deviate from the intimate character story that preceded it, taking on the form of a survival war flick instead. The eponymous protagonist even takes something of a back seat in large portions, and the film suffers greatly as a result, making for a distinctively unfulfilling finale.
