The Infiltrators

The Infiltrators was well-received at its regional premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. It is a provocative film about the efforts of undocumented activists to infiltrate the Broward Detention Center in Florida. These young people have taken the audacious step of getting themselves arrested so they can get inside detention facility and try to assist those inside the facility to get released. I can't decide if they are brave or foolish, but most likely both. They document the conditions inside the facility for the film. Because they can't film inside much of what goes on inside is recreated docudrama-style using actors after the fact. It is melding of styles of documentary and feature filming. It is well-filmed and highly provocative in its description of the Kafkaesque world inside the detention facility. The film is enjoyable and informative. Some of the use of actors as well as the real individuals is quite confusing. The personal stories of the individual immigrants are heart wrenching. I was impressed that they challenge the prevalent stereotype that all undocumented individuals are Latinos by including undocumented individuals from Africa and Iran in the narrative. The film is recommended for anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of the intricacies of the immigration nightmare that we have created.