FRUITS OF LABOR

A film by Emily Cohen Ibañez
2021, 77 minutes
No. 315
Documentary
FRUITS OF LABOR
$375.00
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FAQs
Description
Ashley Solis is a high school senior who must divide her time between school and supporting her family as a second-generation Mexican American. Located in a California working class town, the harshness of agricultural labor in the strawberry fields shares a stark contrast with the beautiful nature and relationship to her spiritual ancestral upbringing. Director Emily Cohen Ibáñez documents Ashley’s life guided by the spirit world through her hardships and joys in modern America.

Fruits of Labor is a character driven account that explores universal themes of how a young woman navigates family obligation and the desire to pursue her dreams in the predicaments of our times. In Ashley’s case her dream is to be the first in her family to graduate high school and go to college.


Festivals
Official Selection, Hots Docs
Official Selection, SXSW
Official Selection, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

Reviews
"Fruits of Labor is ultimately character-driven...Every scene feels intentional...it accomplishes its major purpose by giving viewers a better sense of the ongoing struggle and resilience of American children of immigrants. Ashley comes into herself throughout the course of the documentary—an embodiment of the film’s “blooming flower” motif—and viewers are privileged to witness the process. Highly recommended for foreign language, agriculture, and social justice shelves." - Video Librarian

Subjects