"A truly captivating documentary, that doesn't carry an agenda." Erik Davis, Cinematical

As the United States continues to build a wall between itself and Mexico, WHICH WAY HOME shows the personal side of immigration through the eyes of children who face harrowing dangers with enormous courage and resourcefulness as they endeavor to make it to the United States.

The film follows several unaccompanied child migrants as they journey through Mexico en route to the U.S. on a freight train they call " The Beast." Director Rebecca Cammisa ("Sister Helen") tracks the stories of children like Olga and Freddy, nine-year old Hondurans who are desperately trying to reach their families in Minnesota, and Jose, a ten-year-old El Salvadoran who has been abandoned by smugglers and ends up alone in a Mexican detention center, and focuses on Kevin, a canny, streetwise 14-year-old Honduran, fleeing an abusive stepfather, and whose mother hopes that he will reach New York City and send money back to his family. These are stories of hope and courage, disappointment and sorrow. They are the ones you never hear about - the invisible ones.

Note: Contains scenes with children smoking.



Grade Level: 9-12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 2010     Copyright Date: 2009
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-941-0

Reviews "It's an amazing film. As someone who teaches immigration courses but also does research precisely on the issue of family separation and the migration of children, I have seen many films about how migrants reach the United States. But I've never seen anything like Which Way Home. It's easily the best documentary of its kind I've seen...The film does not dehumanize or essentialize these children. Rather, the humane and sensitive lens seems to aim to present a realistic picture that can inform many about the human drama that these young immigrants and their families live...But we don't only get to hear the children's stories in their own voices, we also learn their parents' views, and get a good glimpse of the context within which the kids live and within which they make decisions to migrate...A remarkably well done documentary that will inform many students of immigration and spark important debates." Cecilia Menjivar, Professor of Sociology, School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Author, Fragmented Ties: Salvadoran Immigrant Networks in America "Heartbreaking...Theses stories illustrate how U.S. immigration and border enforcement policies affect families thousands of miles away who have no recourse but to migrate without documents so as to find opportunities for work. This documentary is an invaluable educational tool for all ages." Patricia Zavella, Professor and Chair, Latin American and Latino Studies, University of California-Santa Cruz, Author, Women and Migration in the US-Mexico Borderlands "Produces a powerful testimony of how absolute poverty hurls even young children into the clandestine migrant stream. It is the best film made of the undocumented migration of Central Americans into the United States." Nestor Rodriguez, Professor, Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin, Author, When States Kill: Latin America, the U.S., and Technologies of Terror "Harrowing." Reed Johnson The Los Angeles Times "Tremendous - eye opening filmmaking." Erik Price, Esquire "Taps into the same concept and themes of Sin Nombre, except it's all real and it's all heartbreaking to watch...A truly captivating documentary, that doesn't carry an agenda...it brings you to the front lines of a war we know very little about and turns the audience member into an expert. But, like with most documentaries, what becomes of that new chunk of brutal information is entirely up to you. My advice: Turn to the person next to you and tell them there's a great film they need to see." Erik Davis, Cinematical "An unflinching look at the world of Central American child migrants." The Wall Street Journal "Without resorting to any background narration, Which Way Home raises questions about cross-border immigration policies and the macro-economic causes that propel people from struggling countries to stream into developed ones." Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times "Tackles the almost unfathomably complex immigration issue by zooming in on some of its youngest victims." David Hinckley, The New York Daily News "Some of them make it. Some of them don't. But all of them remind us what it truly means to be brave and literally chase after your dreams." Latina Magazine "Dramatically and pictorially pulls its weight...a reverse-angle on the many documentaries about decamped mothers or fathers who toil in New York or Los Angeles to send cash back to families from whom they are exiled." Ronnie Scheib, Variety "Despite the subject matter -- terrified children, many who haven't seen their families in years -- Cammisa never gets sentimental, and instead lets those closest to the subject do the talking." New York Magazine "Exceptionally effective filmmaking." Jennifer Merin, About.com "What comes out of the film is a message of hope, as there needs to be a serious discussion about immigration policy by both sides of the border. Having a situation where so many children are risking their lives to try and come here is pretty unaccetpable. Thankfully, Which Way Home is a film that informs and inspires - as the first step in creating real change is to give people the knowledge of what is actually happening - and that is an incredibly hopeful thing." Gina Telaroli, TakePart.com