Crossing Over (2009)

Director: Wayne Kramer

Cast: Harrison Ford as Max Brogan, Ray Liotta as Cole Frankel, Ashley Judd as Denise Frankel, Jim Sturgess as Gavin Kossef, Cliff Curtis as Hamid Baraheri, Alice Braga as Mireya Sanchez, Alice Eve as Claire Sheperd, Summer Bishil as Taslima Jahangir, Jacqueline Obradors as Special Agent Phadkar, Justin Chon as Yong Kim, Melody Zara as Zahra Baraheri (as Melody Khazae), Merik Tadros as Farid Baraheri, Marshall Manesh as Sanjar Baraheri, Nina Nayebi as Minoo Baraheri, Naila Azad as Rokeya Jahangir

Though there have been many films about the horrors faced by illegal
immigrants attempting to get into or stay in the US, few films have
addressed the issues on both sides of the table as well as CROSSING
OVER. This film probably did not do very well in theatrical release
because of the very difficult subject matter with which it confronts
the audience: few people who go to the movies to escape the realities
of life outside elect to be disturbed. CROSSING OVER, as written and
directed by Wayne Kramer, forces us to learn just how treacherous the
matter of immigration is on every level - from the border incidents, to
document fraud, to worksite enforcement/raiding, to the concept of
asylum, to naturalization, the green card process, the problematic
office of counter terrorism, and finally to the basic cultural clashes
that pit compassionate law officers against red neck raider type
officers.

To absorb the intricately woven aspects of the script, a script that
addresses immigration issues dealing with Koreans, Africans, Iranians,
Australians, Mexicans, and Jewish/atheist Britishers, the audience must
pay close attention lest the subtleties are lost in the swirling
nonstop drama. Harrison Ford as the compassionate, burned out
immigration officer Max Brogan holds the film together as he attempts
to make sense of the various irregularities in every aspect of the
immigration process. His partner is Iranian American Hamid (a
particularly fine performance by Cliff Curtis) who faces family
problems with his American born sister and his father who is on the
brink of naturalization - one of the many subplots that involves 'honor
killing'. Another man Cole Frankel (Ray Liotta is a smarmy role)
reveals another view of a 'bad agent' while his wife Denise (Ashley
Judd) fights for the rights of an African orphan held for 23 months
awaiting sponsorship. A brave Iranian girl Taslima (Summer Bishil)
speaks out for the rights of Muslims to be heard and plunges her family
into deportation problems. Among the other subplots are stories about a
Korean family whose one son (Justin Chon) is forced into gang warfare,
an Australian actress (Alice Eve) who must secure her green card
through sexual favors with Cole Frankel, a Mexican mother Mireya (Alice
Braga) who is captured during a raid at a workplace and befriended by
Max Brogan, and young British musician (Jim Sturgess) who must convince
authorities of his 'Jewishness' in order to maintain a job that will
result in a green card.

Each of these stories represents an aspect of our current dysfunctional
system management of immigration. The film does not take sides: it
merely presents a smattering of the atrocities and imperfectly managed
departments of government that together form a system that is chaotic.
Of interest, Sean Penn (listed as being in the cast on this page of
Amazon.com) requested his small role be cut because of the objections
of Iranian-American groups over the use of the 'honor killing' subplot.
That may indicate how many people may view this film: the story will
either anger or disgust some viewers. But what this very well acted and
produced and directed film does is provide windows through which we may
more closely examine the tragedies of our current immigration system.
Perhaps change will occur once people are informed of the injustices.
Grady Harp