City of Dreams review: A narrative on human trafficking that falls short in socio-political complexity

Written and directed by Mohit Ramchandani, City of Dreams is a 2023 American-Mexican drama thriller film. The film was released in theaters across the United States on August 30, 2024, under the banner of Roadside Attractions.

The film stars Ari Lopez as Jesús, a young Mexican boy with dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. His aspirations are unfortunately shattered when he is trafficked across the border and sold to a sweatshop in Los Angeles.

City of Dreams embarks on a mission to educate the masses about the dangers of human trafficking from Jesús's perspective. The film achieves this to a certain extent but faces significant challenges along the way. So much so that the film had to incorporate an additional post-credit scene to communicate its message effectively.

The other thing that the film successfully does is touch upon the topics it promises in its trailer. However, it fails to explore the complexities beyond that. The pursuit of the American dream, immigration's flaws, and capitalism are just a few examples of deeper underlying factors that were teased but not investigated in the film.

These concepts were allowed to exist in a vacuum without being of any relevance to the overall film's narrative. In short, the film was not allowed to be what it could have been, a narrative on human trafficking with socio-political complexity.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Please read at your discretion.

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City of Dreams touches on immigration but misses key issues

Those well-versed in the practice of individuals crossing borders in hopes of a better life are well aware of the underlying issues at play in such cases. Factors such as capitalism, labor shortages, the availability of cheap labor, and widespread ignorance of human rights significantly contribute to this phenomenon.

Mohit Ramchandani's City of Dreams lightly touches upon these ideas but falls short in exploring them further. While watching the film, it feels like it's almost as if you're witnessing Jesús's tribulations of being kidnapped, without any affiliation being attributed to a socio-political group that has had a history of experiencing such trials.

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City of Dreams is about the horrors of human trafficking

From the moment the trailer for Mohit Ramchandani's City of Dreams dropped, it was clear that this film was far from just another average immigrant's tale about chasing the American dream. It was much more than that.

Ari Lopez's Jesús dreams of becoming a renowned soccer player. However, living in the underbelly of Puebla in Central Mexico makes it difficult for him to pursue his aspirations. When an unknown man offers him a chance to attend a soccer camp, his father takes a leap of faith and allows him to go alone, without the knowledge of what lies ahead.

As the film's story progresses, audiences are suddenly hit with the realization that Jesús is being trafficked and sold. He is kept hostage inside a dark room without windows, which is later revealed to be a sweatshop in Los Angeles.

Soon he is included in a group of laborers working for a cloth manufacturing unit, infamous for overworking and mistreating their workers and making them work under unfavorable living conditions.

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City of Dreams teaches the importance of having dreams

Throughout his time in the Los Angeles sweatshop, where he was being held captive, Jesús endured unimaginable horrors. Those around him faced similar or even greater ordeals.

However, despite the turmoil surrounding him, Jesús held onto hope. His ambition of becoming a successful soccer player kept his spirit alive. Even after a difficult encounter with his captors, he would dream of playing in grand stadiums filled with cheering fans. These daydreams helped him avoid sinking into a pit of despair and kept him alive.

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Besides Ari Lopez, City of Dreams also stars Renata Vaca, Alfredo Castro, Paulina Gaitán, Jason Patric, and Diego Calva.