Amaraica is the combination of two words: Amara and America. It’s no coincidence then that the film titled Amaraica puts the pregnancy and birth of a little girl named Amara at the core of the narrative. Amaraica focuses on a single story within the context of the hotly debated United States immigration policy and how two undocumented immigrants navigate their world in hopes of achieving a better life.
Roberto and Juana crossed the Mexico-United States border illegally in hopes of finding a legal means of becoming citizens. They had gone their separate ways after crossing until soon after Juana discovered she was pregnant but didn’t tell Roberto until she was in her ninth month. As Roberto struggles to maintain a business, find his path to citizenship and take care of others, he finds there is now more at stake than the possibility of himself being sent back, if caught.
Amaraica stars Aldo Verástegui, Karina Lechuga and Lynn Andrews III and was written and directed by Tim Sparks.
Here are five screenwriting takeaways from Amaraica:
1. A personal look at a major problem
Movies have the incredible ability of taking serious policy decisions and shedding light on how it impacts people on a personal level. Amaraica takes place at the beginning of the United States’ zero-tolerance policy. While there were countless articles focusing on inhumane conditions and broken-up families, the movie takes a storytelling approach by sharing how this policy and attitudes toward immigration impact the individual.
Most people don’t know what it’s like to be an undocumented immigrant and the constant fear they have while trying to live a "normal" life. Writers who want to dive into a world that many moviegoers may not see can create a story around a handful of people affected by a major event.
Amaraica focuses on Roberto’s (Verástegui) struggles, not the policy as a whole. Yet, the viewer has the opportunity to catch a glimpse into the world even if the story is fiction. It’s similar to how films like Jojo Rabbit showed a child’s beliefs challenged in World War II Germany and Ben Is Back showed how the opioid epidemic impacted a single family.
2. Define the situation
Within the first few minutes of the film, we learn quite a bit about both the main character and the situation he finds himself in.
For starters, we know Roberto used a coyote to sneak into the country illegally. The viewer also finds out that he’s running a business, is fearful of being pulled over by law enforcement and is constantly suspicious of his surroundings.
Also, one of the first scenes of the movie takes place at a police precinct where the officers learn about the new zero-tolerance policy and that they must ask for immigration papers if they pull someone over.
Writers can see how Amaraica defines the upcoming conflicts and consequences that the lead character will face. Viewers now have the expectation that this upcoming scene will come up and thus, they will be invested in the character and the outcome.
3. Who is your lead character?
What makes your lead character so special? What are they fighting for?
For Amaraica, it’s a man trying to make his way with family that makes it difficult, a system that is against him, and the hopes of a newborn that renews his will to keep fighting. What decisions does this character have to make that we take for granted?
That’s what writers need to instill in their characters. There must be a reason for them to fight and for the audience to go along. Even a simple scene where the viewer sees one of the roofers Roberto hires fall off the house while hiding from ICE. This man begs not to go to the hospital because he knows the authorities will deport him. The man’s leg is broken, wouldn’t anyone want to go to the hospital?
That’s the choice this character faces and Roberto’s reaction drives the empathy of the story. The audience also gains a better understanding of the severity of the situation our lead character finds himself in.
4. Increase the conflict
Roberto is not short of conflict. From the time he crosses the desert to his uncertainty of being caught and deported with a baby girl at home, Amaraica is filled with increasing levels of conflict.
Compared to the final 10 minutes of the movie, the first 10 minutes seem relatively tame. Slowly, the conflict increases, and Roberto’s desperation grows. Money problems weren’t as bad when it was just him, but he has a crew he must pay then a baby and her mother he must care for, plus legal services to try to obtain resident status.
There are moments throughout that the viewer sees what happens should Roberto get caught and the writer can use these moments to show the potential downfall should the lead character fall victim to any number of conflicts.
5. Supporting characters are important
Who can help or hurt the protagonist? What obligations does the lead character have to others and how does that impact their decisions?
The most important characters in Roberto’s life are his baby, Amara, and his wife, Juana (Lechuga). The viewer knows from the outset that Roberto and Juana had a fling, but nothing went beyond that. It’s only when she arrives back in his life nine months pregnant and, after the birth of the child, they have a paternity test that these two become essential in his life.
But these two aren’t the only characters he interacts with. His father, also an undocumented immigrant, provides plenty of headaches. There’s an American woman who Roberto loves and a patron at the bar where she works that blames Roberto for taking his jobs and his girl. Then there are the police.
Writers can see how all of these supporting characters have their own individual voices, lead their own lives, but impact the main character and their goal toward success.
Amaraica is now available on HBO Max.