Director, Mark Becker. USA/Mexico  2005. 84 min.

ROMÁNTICO follows Carmelo from San Francisco's Mission District where he washes cars by day and plays norteña music in restaurants for tips by night to his home village of Salvatierra, Mexico where he returns upon his mother’s illness. Carmelo had been sending money to his family but now must resume the struggle to survive amidst the grinding poverty of his home region. The urgency and poignancy of this verité storytelling enlightens more than any statistic or headline about illegal immigration.