They Come at Night (1998)

In 1986 LA, an illegal immigrant (Elpidia Carrillo) suffers from past tortures in her native El Salvador. Her husband had been killed and her two children taken from her. She was an ... See full summary »

Director:

Lindy Laub

Writer:

Lindy Laub

Stars:

Elpidia Carrillo, Barbara Williams, Trever O'Brien

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elpidia Carrillo	...	Maria Velasquez
Barbara Williams	...	Dr. Sarah Schaeffer
Trever O'Brien	...	Matt Schaeffer
Sabrina Wiener	...	Graciela (as Sabrina Weiner)
Romeo Fabian	...	Pablito (as Romeo Romero Fabian)
Jesus Nebot	...	Pedro
Dale Raoul	...	Red Cross Worker (as Karen Dale Raoul)
Diego Wallraff	...	Antonio
Tony Perez	...	Dr. Cordoba
Sandy Martin	...	Hazel
Alejandra Cruz	...	Andrea
Juan García	...	Coyote (as Juan J. Garcia)
Susan Segal	...	School Nurse
Alina Cenal	...	Waitress
Juan A. Riojas	...	Prison Guard (as Juan Riojas)

Storyline

In 1986 LA, an illegal immigrant (Elpidia Carrillo) suffers from past tortures in her native El Salvador. Her husband had been killed and her two children taken from her. She was an educated teacher with a philosophy degree, but now is forced to take only the most menial tasks and lives in a roach-infested dwelling. This fragile woman is turned over to a case worker (Barbara Williams), who is recently divorced and is struggling as a single mother to her young son. These two very different women make contact and the therapist decides to help the Latin American find her children. Inquiries leads to the children being in Mexico and with a high enough fee, they can be smuggled into the US.

---

Plot Keywords:

independent film

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 September 1998 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pikesville Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Color:

Black and White Color

User Reviews

Not your typical Salvadoran torture story

At first, I thought, "Okay, I've seen this before. Salvadoran woman comes to Los Angeles but can't shake the memories of torture at the hands of the death squads." But there's a lot more to "They Come at Night." The unlikely friendship that develops between the refugee and her psychologist causes the latter to upset the balance her professional responsibilities and the needs of her family, while pushing against the edges of confidentiality and detachment. But the film finds time for genuine warmth and humor while exposing the atrocities of the US-funded and -trained death squads, all without crossing the line into overt preachiness. You'll have to suspend your assumptions as I did, but "They Come at Night" is well worth it.