Deep Dive: Which Way Home (2009)
Film Lens
Which Way Home is a 2009 documentary directed by Rebecca Cammisa that follows children from Mexico and Central America as they attempt to reach the United States atop a freight train known as 'La Bestia.' The film features several young migrants, including Fito, a thirteen-year-old from Honduras, and Juan Carlos, a thirteen-year-old from Guatemala, both seeking work and a better life. The documentary captures their experiences and the risks they face during this perilous trek.
The film premiered on HBO on August 24, 2009, and provides a unique perspective on immigration issues through the eyes of children. It reveals the harsh realities of their journeys, including abandonment and addiction, as seen through characters like Yuriko, a seventeen-year-old boy from Chiapas, Mexico, who struggles with glue addiction while seeking a family in the U.S.
Why Watch
- •Meet Fito, a boy from Honduras seeking a better life.
- •Follow Juan Carlos, a boy from Guatemala looking for his father.
- •See Olga and Freddy, two nine-year-olds traveling to find family.
Did You Know
•Approximately 5% of Latin American migrants are children.
•The film premiered on HBO on August 24, 2009.
•Rebecca Cammisa received a Fulbright Scholar Grant in 2006 to make this documentary.
•Which Way Home won an Emmy in 2010 for Outstanding Informational Programming-Long Form.
Perfect For
Child migration issuesImmigration policy debatesDocumentary film enthusiasts