The Pursuit of Perfection
When ICE officers raid the Diaz family home on Thanksgiving, eldest son Koke is deported, mother Marisol is arrested and deported and father/step-father Jorge finds temporary sanctuary in a Jewish syn…
The Pursuit of Perfection
When ICE officers raid the Diaz family home on Thanksgiving, eldest son Koke is deported, mother Marisol is arrested and deported and father/step-father Jorge finds temporary sanctuary in a Jewish synagogue. The two American-born children, young attorney Emiliano, and teenager Valentina immediately get to work to bring their family members home. With the support of trans counselor Mariela at the Casa del Migrante, the deported Koke pieces a life together in Mexico while simultaneously trying to get back to the United States. Koke attempts to find his Mexican birth certificate with the hopes that it will help him to secure work and reunite with is partner Angie and their daughter Esperanza. The birth certificate search leads Koke to his birthplace, a fishing village in Oaxaca. There he meets his grandmother and cousin, discovering that his extended family is Afro-Mexican. Koke is not the only family member to learn that he may come from a more diverse background than he thought. Jorge discovers through a relationship with a well-meaning rabbi and a community grappling with "welcoming the stranger" that he may have Jewish history of his own. Marisol connects with fellow detainees in detention. Her daughter Valentina steadfastly builds a social media campaign around reuniting her family despite grappling with epilepsy. Her brother Emiliano quits his job at a corporate firm to open a law clinic at an immigrant rights organization, positioning himself to better help his family. He adjusts his father's status and with the help of Valentina's social media campaign, gets Marisol released from detention. Koke declares his commitment to Angie and Esperanza by proposing, although it is unclear if they will make it as a couple in the face of being split apart. Three months later the empowered family joins activists and community members in a march in downtown Los Angeles. Koke joins them virtually in Tijuana. On both sides of the border activists, deportees, and community members fervently march for immigrant rights, the change of laws, and the unification of their families.
The Pursuit of Perfection
Documentary
Film Details
When ICE officers raid the Diaz family home on Thanksgiving, eldest son Koke is deported, mother Marisol is arrested and deported and father/step-father Jorge finds temporary sanctuary in a Jewish synagogue. The two American-born children, young attorney Emiliano, and teenager Valentina immediately get to work to bring their family members home. With the support of trans counselor Mariela at the Casa del Migrante, the deported Koke pieces a life together in Mexico while simultaneously trying to get back to the United States.
Koke attempts to find his Mexican birth certificate with the hopes that it will help him to secure work and reunite with is partner Angie and their daughter Esperanza. The birth certificate search leads Koke to his birthplace, a fishing village in Oaxaca. There he meets his grandmother and cousin, discovering that his extended family is Afro-Mexican.
Koke is not the only family member to learn that he may come from a more diverse background than he thought. Jorge discovers through a relationship with a well-meaning rabbi and a community grappling with "welcoming the stranger" that he may have Jewish history of his own. Marisol connects with fellow detainees in detention.
Her daughter Valentina steadfastly builds a social media campaign around reuniting her family despite grappling with epilepsy. Her brother Emiliano quits his job at a corporate firm to open a law clinic at an immigrant rights organization, positioning himself to better help his family. He adjusts his father's status and with the help of Valentina's social media campaign, gets Marisol released from detention.
Koke declares his commitment to Angie and Esperanza by proposing, although it is unclear if they will make it as a couple in the face of being split apart. Three months later the empowered family joins activists and community members in a march in downtown Los Angeles. Koke joins them virtually in Tijuana.
On both sides of the border activists, deportees, and community members fervently march for immigrant rights, the change of laws, and the unification of their families..