Educational Media Reviews Online

Tijuana Nada Más presents an intimate, agonizing, snapshot of a few months in the life of two 14 year old Tijuana street kids, Pollo and Gordo, as they regale and horrify us with their tales of living on the edge survival with their band of friends. Through dark grainy images, we see street kids eating dry instant noodles and chips, literally playing with fire to earn quick cash, with no adults in sight. The boys try to take care of each other, training their friends to work as "polleros" (immigrant smugglers) and "carnadas" ("bait" to distract the border patrol), but several are addicted to crystal meth and they live in destitute conditions. They are keenly aware their lives would be much different if they were "family kids," and wish they could grow up to become lawyers and police officers. There is a momentary glimmer of hope, when Pollo, taken in by a family with a taco business, is clean cut and nicely dressed, professing his happiness at finally having a normal life. We are almost duped into believing that his life has been fundamentally altered, when we are suddenly shocked to see a dirty, sweaty, drugged and incoherent Pollo, again on the streets with Gordo, refusing to share what lead him to break away from his foster family. Heartbreaking, compelling, informative and insightful, this film makes the most of its short 27 minutes, presenting a side of the immigration issue that has thus far been absent from the American mindset. Highly recommended for courses in political science, international studies and social work that focus on immigration and border issues.