The movie "City of Dreams," directed by producer-turned writer-director Mohit Ramchandani, attempts to follow in the path of the popular "Sound of Freedom," a film that made big waves last year. The script of "City of Dreams" is centered around 15-year-old Jesús (played by Ari López) who bears a non-verbal disorder. He is from the state of Puebla in central Mexico and is conned into a human trafficking plot by a cartel-trafficker, promising him a spot in a soccer camp.
Despite the involvement of high-profile producers such as Yalitza Aparicio, an Oscar-nominated Mexican actress, Luis Fonsi, the Puerto Rican singer popular for his song “Despacito,” and filmmaker Luis Mandoki, the film fails to deliver by ignoring the importance of a well-structured and authentic screenplay.
The movie, aimed at attracting Latino viewers, commits the unforgivable offence of portraying laughably stereotypical archetypes of the Latino community that are recurrent in Hollywood but utterly lacking in authenticity. The dialogue is narratively nonsensical; it is almost incredulous that the presumably new immigrants from Latin America in this sweatshop understand and speak English amongst each other. This glaring lack of cultural awareness or accuracy is astounding.
Even with a cast comprising of versatile performers like Chilean actor Alfredo Castro and Mexican actor Diego Calva, the film disappoints due to its unrealistic representations. It painfully wastes the talent of its performers, forcing them into unnecessary theatrics, cartoonish overacting and platitudinous roles.
Despite Lopez's convincing portrayal of extreme distress, thematic elements in the script render the film into the realm of bad ideas, with the character’s distress being used in religious allegories that do not quite hit the mark.
While the film’s cinematography and production value must be lauded, impressive chase sequences and effectively oppressive environmets can't atone for its glaring flaws.
"City of Dreams" ends with a call to action against dehumanizing practices, with Lopez himself urging the audience to spread the film's message. However, Ramchandani’s focus on the film's "impact" rather than its artistic merits turn it into what appears to be an overtly ideological, expensive public service announcement masquerading as art.
