Alambrista! (1978): Robert Young’s Indie, Tale of Immigrant Boy, Wins Cannes Film Fest First Camera d’Or

Cannes Film Festival 1978–Robert Young moved from documentaries to features with Alambrista! (The Illegal), winner of the 1978 Camera d'Or at Cannes, which offers a vivid view of illegal farm laborers in its touching, insightful tale of Roberto, a Mexican boy (Domingo Ambriz) who illegally crosses the border seeking work to support his family. Alambrista! is a small, gentle, unsentimental film, which follows Roberto as he discovers that California is decidedly not the land of opportunity. The cinema verite (hand-held camera, expressive close-ups) shifts smoothly from the lyrical to the nightmarish.