In Director Alex Rivera's sci-fi thriller, "Sleep Dealer" (2008), he does a good job of showing us that Mexicans are still at the forefront of racism in American. The movie is at first a little quirky and the ideas and terminology are kind of funny until you find yourself getting the jist of it almost to the point of falling into reverie. I actually liked how he used the terms once the definitions and usage were clear. It happens soon enough into the movie that you are encaptured by the plot of events and characters. You may even find yourself agreeing with it even to the point of getting a little ticked off - I know I did.
The futuristic movie which is set in the rural village of Santa Ana del Rio (Mexico) quickly goes into the idea of a corporation-controlled and military enforced future where the United States has finally and successfully closed its borders. American technology has developed a digital network with a capacity that allows the United States to continue to have all their work done by Mexicans but in a controlled environment which surely makes America safer. To one’s chagrin, the technology is so advanced that there is no need for Mexicans to be physically in the U.S. to tend to the usual immigrant-type jobs which are the "norm" in present times and are still as such in Rivera's futuristic world. Plus, in America, there are no water shortages like in Santa Ana del Rio which is a small farming area and the only sign of technology is a dam which was built by an unknown militarized corporation. The corporation controls Santa Ana's water supply thus making things difficult for the farmers. Due to the issues plaguing Santa Ana, the lead character named Memo is forced to leave the village in hopes of finding work so he can send money back to his family. Memo is not as fond of Santa Ana as he is fascinated by technology, but the very technology which he loves quickly becomes the reason he must leave and ultimately makes him somewhat bitter and jaded.
As the movie progresses and Memo arrives in the city to find a job, he quickly discovers how the technology for which he yearned for might not be such a good thing. The technology forces Mexicans to get set up with "nodes". Nodes (hole plugs) are capacity points in certain points in a body which allow Mexicans to plug into a computer.
By doing this, they are then able to control robotic entities located in various but unknown places within the United States. Imagine that, migrant work still being done by Mexicans but the U.S. does not need to worry about the actual person physically being there; after all, it is only a robot that the Mexicans control from inside the country of Mexico. The real kicker is that by plugging into these computer sources, the Mexicans are still in danger as their internal health is compromised thus negatively impacting their overall physical health within time.
As is the case now, Mexicans in this movie are still disrespected and treated as ‘personas non grata’ in America. Immigration in present day America continues to take a back burner to other issues and in “Sleep Dealer”, Alex Rivera indirectly reminds us of what is likely to happen to immigrants and to the border if the status quo continues. Sure present day technology may not be so advanced as in this movie; however, it is not so unbelievable that technological advancements and simulations in lesser ways could indeed occur. What I mean by that is that in the U.S., American companies already have foreigners performing tasks without them having to be in the U.S. Where do you think all the telemarketers and bill collectors and such are calling us from anyway?
What I took away from the meaning of this most excellent movie is that it is time to wake up in America. Immigration reform cannot go ignored or Mexicans may really find themselves in a true version of “Sleep Dealer”. Many people such as the right-wing fundamentalists, and bigots would love to see such a world exist. So would the people who are part of the so-called grassroots movement radical groups known as “The Tea Party” and "Birthers”. I could not live in a country where those kind of people still exist with that kind of negative, backwards attitude or worse yet - that they could ever have that type of power and control over our own Latino/Hispanic/Chicano majority. Especially not after we become the majority!
As a fan and lover of the sci-fi genre, I give this movie 4 of out 5 stars and strongly encourage people to see it and to further recommend it.
