Entre Nos is a 2009 drama

Drama

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...

 film starring Paola Mendoza. The film, which was co-written and co-directed by Mendoza with Gloria LaMorte, explores the life of Mariana, a Colombian immigrant attempting to survive on the streets of New York City with her two children. The film has been screened at over 14 film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival

Tribeca Film Festival

The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...

, has won numerous awards, and has garnered generally positive reviews.

Synopsis

Mariana (Mendoza) is a Colombian immigrant who has recently traveled to New York with her two children, 10 year-old Gabriel (Sebastian Villada Lopez) and 6 year-old Andrea (Laura Montana Cortez) in order to be reunited with her husband Antonio (Andres Munar). However, one day Antonio leaves his family after announcing that he has found work in Miami, and it soon becomes apparent to Mariana that he does not intend to return. Seeing this, she sets out with her children onto the streets of Queens in an attempt to scrape together a decent living. When selling her homemade empanadas fails to bring in any money, Mariana and the children begin collecting aluminum cans off the city's streets. Complications arise, and soon the family finds itself in a desperate day-to-day struggle for survival.

The film is a semi-autobiographical tale based on the arrival of Mendoza's own mother to the United States; however, this fact is not revealed to the audience until a post-film sequence immediately before the credits roll.

Production

The screenplay for Entre Nos took two years to complete. Due to the strict requirements of the roles, LaMorte and Mendoza auditioned over 200 girls for the role of Andrea and over 300 boys for the role of Gabriel before ultimately settling on Cortez and Villada.

The film made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009, and has since had subsequent screenings both on the festival circuit and in select cinemas in New York and Miami.

Cast

Role	Played By
Mariana	Paola Mendoza
Gabriel	Sebastian Villada
Andrea	Laura Montana Cortez
Joe	Anthony Chisholm
Antonio	Andres Munar
Preet	Sarita Choudhury
Mi-Sun	Isabel Sung

Awards

Event	Year	Award	Recipient	Result
Festróia - Tróia International Film Festival	2009	Prize of the City of Setúbal	Paola Mendoza Gloria La Morte	Won
Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival	2009	Jury Award - Best Film	Paola Mendoza Gloria La Morte	Won
Newport International Film Festival	2009	Audience Award	Paola Mendoza Gloria La Morte	Won
Tribeca Film Festival	2009	Honorable Mention - Narrative Feature	Paola Mendoza Gloria La Morte	Won

Critical Reception

Reception to Entre Nos has been mostly positive. A review by Andy Webster of The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

 said of directors Mendoza and LaMorte that "both are deft with pacing, composition and atmosphere," in addition to claiming that the scenes involving Mariana's children "have charm and authenticity." The New York Post called Mendoza's performance "heart-tugging." David Noh of Film Journal International

Film Journal International

Film Journal International is a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It is a sister publication of Adweek, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and other periodicals....

 described the film as "an indictment of this incredibly wealthy country's indifference to the less fortunate," and praised the performances of Villada and Cortez, referring to the two as "miracles of naturalism." Michelle Orange of The Village Voice

The Village Voice

The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...

 called the film "strangely resonant" and claimed the directors have a "mitigating eye for destitution." According to a post on Slashfilm, Michael Moore

Michael Moore

Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...

included Entre Nos on his list of the 20 best films of 2009, in an email Moore sent to those on his mailing list.