Movies about immigrant stories
January 15, 2023 7:41 PM Subscribe
What are the best movies that deal with struggles and triumphs of immigrants trying to survive and make it in a new country?
Little America is an anthology series on AppleTV that has both low, but also very high points. Kumail Nanjiani is one of the EPs and helped develop it.
posted by artificialard at 7:51 PM on January 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by artificialard at 7:51 PM on January 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
Limbo (2020) is a great film, sort of a dry comedy-drama, about a Syrian refugee named Omar, who lives in a super remote part of Scotland as he and his companions wait for their visas to be processed.
His House (2020) is a horror movie about a South Sudanese couple who have newly arrived in England and struggle to adjust to their new life.
posted by lhall at 8:14 PM on January 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
His House (2020) is a horror movie about a South Sudanese couple who have newly arrived in England and struggle to adjust to their new life.
posted by lhall at 8:14 PM on January 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
Some others come to mind Enemies a Love Story.
The Wedding Banquet by. Ang Lee.
Mississippi Masala by Mira Nair. Agree that a Denzel Washington rom-com is too rare an occurrence.
posted by brookeb at 8:25 PM on January 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
The Wedding Banquet by. Ang Lee.
Mississippi Masala by Mira Nair. Agree that a Denzel Washington rom-com is too rare an occurrence.
posted by brookeb at 8:25 PM on January 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
El Norte, 1983 movie about a young couple escaping violence in Guatamala, traveling through Mexico, and trying to make a life in Los Angeles.
posted by JonJacky at 8:28 PM on January 15, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by JonJacky at 8:28 PM on January 15, 2023 [5 favorites]
I don't know whether it's a best-in-genre offering, but I enjoyed Brooklyn (2015).
posted by ClaireBear at 8:53 PM on January 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by ClaireBear at 8:53 PM on January 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
Under the Same Moon / La Misma Luna
It's kind of an undertone rather than the main thing, but Lone Star
posted by LionIndex at 8:58 PM on January 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's kind of an undertone rather than the main thing, but Lone Star
posted by LionIndex at 8:58 PM on January 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
My first thought on reading this question was an earlier Paul Mazursky film — Moscow on the Hudson, with Robin Williams in one of his first dramatic roles as a Soviet defector in NYC.
posted by sesquipedalia at 9:10 PM on January 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by sesquipedalia at 9:10 PM on January 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
Godfather II?
posted by credulous at 9:33 PM on January 15, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by credulous at 9:33 PM on January 15, 2023 [5 favorites]
Coneheads (1993)
posted by flamk at 10:11 PM on January 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by flamk at 10:11 PM on January 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
El Super (1979) is a comedy-drama about Cuban exiles in NYC. Youtube has the whole thing.
Wayne Wang has made a few films that focus on the Chinese-American experience: Joy Luck Club (1993), Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989), and the excellent Chan is Missing (1982). First-generation immigrants are featured but they may not be the main characters.
The highly acclaimed Small Axe series by Steve McQueen is about West Indian immigrants in London.
posted by hydrophonic at 10:19 PM on January 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
Wayne Wang has made a few films that focus on the Chinese-American experience: Joy Luck Club (1993), Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989), and the excellent Chan is Missing (1982). First-generation immigrants are featured but they may not be the main characters.
The highly acclaimed Small Axe series by Steve McQueen is about West Indian immigrants in London.
posted by hydrophonic at 10:19 PM on January 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
Last year’s Oscar nominee Flee is about so many things , but one of its biggest themes is about being a queer refugee in Denmark and trying to reconcile your different identities.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 11:37 PM on January 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by kitten kaboodle at 11:37 PM on January 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
The Namesake
posted by champers at 3:01 AM on January 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by champers at 3:01 AM on January 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
posted by signal at 3:47 AM on January 16, 2023
posted by signal at 3:47 AM on January 16, 2023
Seconding The Namesake!
posted by unicorn chaser at 4:26 AM on January 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by unicorn chaser at 4:26 AM on January 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
Coneheads (1993)
If you're open to SF, I was going to say:
Alien Nation
District 9
Broadly, most of Becky Chambers' "Wayfarers" books (more specifically refugee than general immigrant)
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 5:25 AM on January 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
If you're open to SF, I was going to say:
Alien Nation
District 9
Broadly, most of Becky Chambers' "Wayfarers" books (more specifically refugee than general immigrant)
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 5:25 AM on January 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
"An Englishman Abroad" (60 minutes, BBC) is based on the true story of a chance 1958 meeting in Moscow between actress Coral Browne and Guy Burgess, who had defected to the Soviet Union in 1951.
posted by baseballpajamas at 5:31 AM on January 16, 2023
posted by baseballpajamas at 5:31 AM on January 16, 2023
Vilhelm Moberg's Emigrants novels were adapted into a couple of movies.
posted by goatdog at 6:47 AM on January 16, 2023
posted by goatdog at 6:47 AM on January 16, 2023
The Joy Luck Club (1993), about Chinese-American mothers and daughters in San Francisco.
Amreeka (2009), about a Palestinian family that settles in Detroit after 9/11.
Minari, (2020), about a Korean family in the rural US in the '80s.
posted by box at 7:28 AM on January 16, 2023
Amreeka (2009), about a Palestinian family that settles in Detroit after 9/11.
Minari, (2020), about a Korean family in the rural US in the '80s.
posted by box at 7:28 AM on January 16, 2023
Tori and Lokita. And several of the other Dardenne's Brothers films too.
posted by mani at 8:47 AM on January 16, 2023
posted by mani at 8:47 AM on January 16, 2023
A little farther afield... (comedy / very fictional so maybe not very good as representative, but I think still very good as movies)
An American Tail
the Frisco Kid
posted by Mchelly at 9:06 AM on January 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
An American Tail
the Frisco Kid
posted by Mchelly at 9:06 AM on January 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
Mississippi Masala, The Namesake, My Beautiful Laundrette
posted by nayantara at 5:48 PM on January 16, 2023
posted by nayantara at 5:48 PM on January 16, 2023
O Quatrilho (1995), about Italian immigrants in Brazil in the early 20th century. Youtube has the complete film with subtitles.
posted by hydrophonic at 7:43 PM on January 16, 2023
posted by hydrophonic at 7:43 PM on January 16, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by brookeb at 7:47 PM on January 15, 2023 [3 favorites]