Who Is Dayani Cristal?
Dir: Marc Silver
2014
****
Who Is Dayani Cristal? deals primarily with the issue of migration but focuses on the story of just one of thousands of migrants who die each year before reaching their destination. The film is part reconstruction and part documentary. The interviews with officials, boarder control and the various departments that deal with migration and the unidentified bodies often found in the desert near the boarders are an eyeopener. The reasons behind the sudden surge in migration deaths is shocking and why it continues even more so. The interviews of the family members is heartbreaking and breaks down any misconceptions we in the west might have of migrant workers. The real success of this film is the reconstructions. Gael Garcia Bernal immersed himself in the project and followed the footsteps of many Migrants travelling to America from Guatemala and Honduras, through Mexico and into America. Along the way he talks to others about their own journeys, their reasons for leaving and their hopes for the future. This gives the story real depth and understanding for the viewer to consider. Viewing statistics as individuals is so important in order to understand and to have something done about it and its sudden influx in the last few years. A man is found alone and dead in the middle of Arizona with only the words Dayani Cristal tattooed on his chest. Discovering who Dayani Cristal is as important to do as it is heartbreaking once you have.