A Better Life (2011) on Netflix
Carlos Galindo, an undocumented gardener, tends wealthy Los Angeles yards and raises his son Luis alone. Gang members connected to Luis's girlfriend Ruthie want him to join them.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.2/1017,162 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes86%
Trailer
Plot summary
Carlos Galindo is a Mexican gardener in Los Angeles who lives in the country without legal documents. His fourteen-year-old son Luis attends high school, and Carlos is raising the boy by himself. Luis's girlfriend Ruthie is affiliated with gang members, and they are pushing him to join. Luis is suspended from school for assaulting a student. Carlos works alongside a partner, Blasco, and his sister Anita lends him $12,000 from the family's emergency fund so he can buy Blasco's truck and keep the gardening business running. He drives across the city to tend the landscaping of wealthy landowners, and he wants Luis to have chances he never had.
Cast
- Isabella Rae Thomasas Linda
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about A Better Life (2011)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- A Better Life was originally titled The Gardener and, uncommon among Hollywood productions, is set in a Hispanic community and features an almost entirely Hispanic cast.
- Weitz used the film to explore the culture and geography of Los Angeles, and Father Gregory Boyle of Homeboy Industries, which is run by former gang members, helped him and his crew find locations and make the film as authentic as possible.
- A Better Life's story was adapted by Telemundo into a telenovela, Bajo el mismo cielo, starring Gabriel Porras and María Elisa Camargo, which aired from July 28, 2015 to January 25, 2016.
