Educational Media Reviews Online

This program features the Luis family, American citizens of Mexican descent, who are from Texas. Every year, they must move frequently, chasing farm work. The children, and in particular, their daughter Lilliana must suffer the turbulence of many changes of schools and states. As a high school student, she is concerned with makeup, friends, dating. The school system must try and placed her in the correct grade but it is the student who must make up for coursework that was already covered in this school or have to repeat studies she already did in the last school. During the year this was filmed, she changed school three times.

The life of the farm workers in the Southern U.S. is certainly transient. The parents hope that their youngest children will stay in school to earn an education that will get them out of the farm labor work. This will not be an easy task as we hear the struggles a young girl must face to change schools, friends and homes so frequently.

This documentary has limited appeal. Its length indicates it was produced for the broadcast audience, not the educational one. It has been seen in many film festivals, and that is certainly the correct audience for it.

Special Jury Prize, South by Southwest
Special Jury Prize, San Antonio Cine Festival
MTV/News/Docs Award, Doubletake Documentary Film Festival