Q-and-A With Writer of 'A Better Life'

Q: The film suggests that there has got to be a better solution to our illegal immigration problem, but it doesn't offer up answers.

A: I think that the role of a movie is to stimulate discussion and feelings. You can't possibly come to conclusions about something as complicated as what we do about our borders in this country in a film.

Q: So what did you hope the movie would convey emotionally?

A: This is a story of a father and son. The father's obviously a very good man who did something illegal, which was come to this country without applying. He did it at a time that we as Californians knew lots of people who were doing this. They were our gardeners and dishwashers, working at jobs and for pay that we wouldn't. So we're equally culpable for that part of the story. I think most people with a good heart would recognize that the father was doing everything for his son. That's why people with different political views can respond to the movie without having to get into fights. It's a family-values movie.

Q: Tell us about your political transformation.

A: During the O.J. Simpson trial, I watched racism going in the other direction, and I said, 'Wait a minute. I didn't sign up for this.' Then, when 9/11 hit, I realized that I was much more of a patriot than I thought I was. I realized that jihad was real. I take it very seriously. I also realized that free markets were better for the economy than socialism.

Q: But the changes you've made in your political views haven't affected the way you feel about the story that A Better Life tells?

A: Not really, but I'll leave you with another story. I had a housekeeper from Nicaragua, and she spoke no English so I spoke to her in Spanish and was involved in helping her get some papers.  When I was far on the left, I was friends with people in the Sandinistas. One day, one of them — the minister of culture — stayed over in my house. When he left the next morning, I see that my housekeeper is literally trembling. She asks me, "What was that man doing here?" I said, "He's a friend of mine. I've known him for many years. He's the minister of culture." She looked at me and said, "Those people shot my family." I think that was actually the beginning of my political transformation.