Debut: ‘Love in the Time of Migration’ is a latin romance told authentically

Love in the Time of Migration is one of the most beautiful, yet brutally honest portrayals of not only the immigration experience but how dating during a time when there is little to no access to legal immigration for people like Ronny and Suly is available.

First, let’s commend the directors, Chelsea Abbas and Erin Semine Kokdil, for portraying Guatemala more accurately than most Hollywood pictures would. While the country doesn’t have as many lavish cities as the United States or other “first world” countries, it’s not an entirely run down place, which big, blockbuster films get wrong.

Gratitude is also due to the cinematographer for avoiding the use of an orange tint on the skies, a common and often frustrating choice in many films.

Nonetheless, this documentary has a beautiful story. One can highlight the creative ways that that this love story was told, starting in modern times, but going back into the complete beginning of it.

It was utterly charming when it could be, especially with paper cutouts throughout the film to retell the story since there isn’t any video footage of their journey during that era.

The way that the directors tackle talking about immigration and law enforcement in America with clips of what occurred during their attempted migration, but never first hand ones. For example, when they talked about swimming across the river, the directors showed a clip of a rushing stream. They effectively convey the potential dangers of the journey, but there was room for further emphasis in visually demonstrating those risks.

The option to use both Ronny and Suly to tell their own story was nice as it informs the viewers of how they felt during certain portions of the story. Their account lets the audience dive in and connect with them a lot more than just having any other person tell it by themselves.

You’re allowed to feel the love that the couple has for one another, most notably when they talk about being detained and far away from one another. The sentiment is only amplified once they talk about how they would try to communicate with one another.

If something is amazing about this film, it’s how touching and human this couple is. Even though they have less than most Ameicans, they show that they are happy and keep a positive outlook on life.

Ronny and Suly talk about their financial struggles, but they don’t let that get in the way from the love they share with one another and their daughter.

If anything, Ronny shows that even though going back to America would be something economically beneficial, he doesn’t want to leave his daughter and wife in Guatemala.

It’s very intimate in the way that you are allowed to hear every little thought the two share about one another and their struggles that they have shared so far.

One must alsonote that this film doesn’t throw a barrage of facts at you like other documentaries would, and hat should be applauded, but an important topic such as immigration, which often lacks an eloquent intellectual discussion, it would have benefitted from something like that.

If anything, the documentary presents a visual diary of Ronny and Suly allow others to enter their world, because it focuses less facts and data about immigration and focuses the lens on the story of two people trying to make their way to America.

On a final note, one part of the film that stuck out to me is when Ronny states that Guatemalans are so used to growing up and finding themselves in the position to have to ponder on whether or not they want to leave their country in hopes of finding a better life in America or try and make a life for themselves in their own country. A question that permeates many many Latin American countries.