Espaldas mojadas

Rafael wants to work in the USA, but has no papers, as he got into a fight with the wrong people at home and will now have to see where he lives. He thus puts his trust in a people smuggler, who actually does manage to get him across the Rio Grande del Norte to the States. Yet nothing else awaits him there other than oppression and exploitation… Rafael might be at the center of the story, but the big question of cultural belonging is discussed via two secondary characters: that of a Mexican businessman who wants to be like an American at all costs and that of a Mexican-American who feels rootless and goes to seek her fortune in the country her family is from. A masterpiece of great political topicality! (om)