A wave of foreign and independent movies delivers a breath of fresh air to the cinema. Welcome Paola Mendoza, female Colombian actress, director, and writer; the triple threat in the independent and foreign movie “Entre Nos.” The hit movie “Entre Nos” is inspired by the family life she once lived with her mother and brother arriving from Colombia to Queens, New York.

They arrived to New York in hopes of having a better life and with hopes of reuniting with their father who had moved to New York before them. Paola was only two years old and her brother, Rick Mendoza, was just six years old when they had arrived to the United States. It was especially difficult for their mother, Liliana Legge, who solely knew Spanish while also trying to master the English language.

In the movie, Mendoza plays her mother Liliana, Sebastian Villada Lopez plays her brother Rick Mendoza, Laura Montana plays Paola Mendoza when she was a young girl, and Andres Munar plays the not-so-popular father. This movie has true meaning behind it; it is based on a story of a family who are not only adapting to the American culture but who are dealing with being immigrants in the United States. They try with all their might and soul to survive on the streets of New York, but that is not a seemingly easy task. Surviving in a foreign country is difficult for the most obvious reasons.

Not thousands, but millions of immigrant families have to deal with the cultural differences that set them apart from Americans on a daily basis. Although, the cultural differences may be in the way of adapting to a new life, Mariana, the fictional name of her mother in the movie, strives to beat out all the odds in becoming a single mother to two children while homeless in New York.

As the story begins to unravel, Antonio, the father, has delivered some ghastly news that has Mariana worried at first. He had declared that he had found a job in Miami, Florida and that he will have to leave very soon. Mariana urges him not to leave but yet to stay and try to find a job in the Queens area or anywhere in New York. But, of course, Antonio disagrees and stays committed to Miami with or without her input. Instead of arguing with her husband, Mariana accepts the news and suggests that she and the children will come along to Miami as well. However, he slowly utters the words while looking into her eyes and says “I am going alone; you and kids are not coming with me”.  Mariana is broken-hearted and, at this point, does not know what to do. How will she survive? What will she say to the kids? All these questions are running through Mariana’s mind and she cannot come up with any answers.

The following day, Antonio leaves quite deftly and shows little apathy towards his son and daughter, leaving Mariana un-complacent with her troublesome situation. Unfortunately, Mariana cannot pay her rent; she is without a job and has to stay strong for her two children.  How can one surpass this? What will she do? Mariana herself does not know what to do; she is despondent at this point. As the movie progresses, Mariana and her two children become homeless, leaving in the streets of New York, until one day she finds a place that she and her children can call “home.” Sadly, Mariana and her children learn to survive and pick up a new “job” by collecting cans to makes ends meet.

“Entre Nos” is not your average and typical American movie, where the majority of films produced and directed by Hollywood all have a happy ending. This is not what “Entre Nos” is about; it is about hope and faith. Paola Mendoza, when she co-wrote and co-directed the movie, she distinctly wanted to avoid that typical characterization. Nonetheless, as she had stated in an interview on the movie’s website, “in the end it shows a glimmer of hope.”

Keep in mind that “Entre Nos” is based around an ‘intimate epic’ that incorporates the elements of true spirits and emotions that were needed in order to engage the readers and the actors themselves. It is clearly stated by Paola Mendoza that the movie solely does not cater to the immigration community, but instead, “is a movie of faith, hope and inspiration.” “Entre Nos” received an Honorable Mention in the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009.