USED PARTS (PARTES USADAS) International Feature Competition

If nothing succeeds like success, then where does that leave the rest of us? Ending where most immigration stories begin- the promise of the border-USED PARTS uncovers a reality that few see and even fewer get far enough away from to ever talk about Wielding his camera like a New World Antonioni, writer/director Aaron Fernandez plunges us into the world of Ivan (Eduardo Granados), a 14-year-old who is sure that happiness resides in the United States. Under the friendly tutelage of his crooked uncle, Ivan begins stealing hubcaps and fenders to pay the coyote. This is not Dickens, however; soon the teen has surpassed his erstwhile Dodger and is working directly for a dangerous gangster, falling deeper into the crime that was supposed to be his ticket out. Brimming with attitude and old-school grit, young Granados exudes sheer tenacity while imbuing Ivan with an undeniable charm. In a culture that celebrates success as much as ours, how can we fault him for doing anything and everything to get in.