The Illegal

The Illegal, a 2019 drama film directed by Emmanuel Tenakoon, revolves around Nares, a bright and aspiring young filmmaker from the suburbs of Mumbai, India. His life takes an unexpected turn when he's forced to flee his homeland and travel to the United States, seeking better opportunities for his family's future. Nares joins hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who live in fear, working tirelessly to earn a meager income while keeping their existence below the radar of the American authorities. After a harrowing journey across continents, Nares settles in New York City, where he faces numerous challenges. He soon discovers that finding stable employment is a constant struggle for someone without proper visa documents. As a result, Nares is forced to drop out of film school to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. His passion for filmmaking remains unchanged, but it is now often confined to his mobile phone's camera. In an attempt to make a name for himself, Nares starts making short videos about the lives of fellow undocumented workers. He becomes particularly interested in documenting the plight of men like himself, who toil under the shadows, living in perpetual fear of deportation, detention, and exploitation. His film project slowly gains traction, and Nares finds himself drawn into the vibrant New York City underground film community, where he discovers like-minded artists who, just like him, are driven by the same creative passion. As Nares becomes closer to his fellow filmmakers, he forms a close bond with Rachel, a kind-hearted young artist who becomes his confidante. Rachel, who has family ties to the United States, is empathetic towards Nares's struggles and encourages him to continue exploring his filmmaking aspirations. Their friendship gives Nares a reason to keep fighting, to find a way to make his artistic voice heard despite being an undocumented immigrant. However, Nares's world becomes increasingly complicated when a series of events exposes his immigration status. A viral YouTube video featuring one of his short films inadvertently attracts the attention of a prominent immigration lawyer. Although the lawyer offers to help him, Nares finds himself at a moral crossroads, weighing the potential benefits of seeking a legal solution against the risks of further exposing himself, his friends, and his family back in India. Meanwhile, the lives of undocumented workers around him become increasingly precarious. Friends get arrested during raids, and some are deported back to their countries of origin, leaving behind shattered families and the threat of being torn from their children. Nares struggles to reconcile his own sense of identity and belonging as a creative immigrant with the harsh realities of his circumstances. Throughout the film, Nares remains steadfast in his pursuit of artistic expression. He finds inspiration in the stories and struggles of those around him, and through his film work, he discovers a means of connecting with others, sharing in the resilience and determination that drives so many to build new lives in this country. As tensions build, and the threat of deportation looms closer, Nares must confront the dark underbelly of his adopted home – a country where millions of immigrants live in constant fear and yet find ways to thrive in silence. The Illegal is a testament to the human spirit of resistance and creativity in the face of overwhelming odds. Through Nares's story, the film highlights the struggles faced by undocumented immigrants and the complex emotions of an individual torn between the desire to belong to a new world and the fear of being forced back to an old, familiar reality. Ultimately, as the credits roll, Nares finds a way to reconcile his conflicting identities, his love for film becoming an act of defiance in the face of adversity, a testament to the power of art to transform our understanding of the world around us.