Balseros (2002)

This documentary reeks of desperation.

It spends the first third showing the lives of Cubans in the early to mid-1990s, when the fall of the Soviet Union made for hard times in the communist country.
Balseros (2002) Trailer

As many as 50,000 balseros (literally, “raft people”) took their chances in flimsy rafts to reach the United States after Fidel Castro lifted the restrictions on emigration in 1994.

What makes this documentary interesting is seeing how the lives changed for those who made it to the United States: some got jobs and waited for their families from Cuba to come join them. Others started a whole new life, abandoning those who remained behind in their home country.

Also revealed in the documentary is the Christian network that helps find immigrants housing and jobs all over the United States. Some are sent to Texas or Nebraska or New Jersey.

The DVD also provides a timeline of policies in both Cuba and the United States as far as raft people go. It also shows the perils of heading to Florida on a cobbled together raft. It is chilling to see empty rafts floating on the sea.

One item of note is how the United States Coast Guard intercepted many of the rafts and brought the “balseros” to Guantanamo naval base in Cuba. It is interesting to see how those who sold drugs and prostituted themselves in Cuba find themselves in similar circumstances in the United States.

“Balseros” is an intriguing look at refugees and the tenacious search for the American dream.
Murphy can be reached at: [email protected].