The Gold Venture brings up the issue of illegal immigration in a way that simple discussions could not. It’s too easy to forget or disregard the desires and struggles of people who want to come to America and this film pushes this aspect into our view. The terrible experience of the voyage alone demonstrates the determination and resolve of its passengers; once they reached the shore, many jumped and swam for their freedom.

. For the people already living in the United States, it shows just how much people would go through to reach what we already have, and not take it for granted. For those living comfortable lifestyles, it is likely thanks to at least one previous generation of hard work to establish themselves here.

At the same time, the film highlighted the flaws of the illegal immigration handling system since these individuals were coldly left in states of detention and illegal status over years without any specific face accountable to the decision. One side of the illegal immigration debate is fueled by the lack of compassion for foreign people trying to better themselves; it is easy for someone to shut the gates to outsiders once on the inside. There is a degree of selfishness in trying to look out for oneself at the expense of others. Opponents of illegal immigration should widen their perspective by seeing the struggles of these aliens before taking their stance.

On the other hand, I suppose the Golden Venture is among the most extreme cases of illegal immigration stories.

In Sentenced Home, we see more of the harsh laws that leave non-citizens in a state of incomplete safety. These laws deliver judgment without regard to circumstance, and are often harshly unrealistic in expecting assimilated American people to return to a land and culture with which they have no connection. Again, they seem to be the result of paranoia and anti-immigrant activism. Deportation as a solution to non-citizen felons is a hasty and occasionally ill-fitting solution at best. Ideally the government should take a more involved approach in attempting to prevent crime and reward those that return to society peacefully.

This film focused more on how each of the three Cambodian men dealt with their situation, and I didn’t like this as much. One thing that stood out for me was Many Uch’s uncertainty of his future. Being the only one of the three still in the U.S. at the conclusion of the film, he kept his lifestyle until the time of the filming, yet he can never firmly establish himself here while his future is uncertain because of the ever-present risk of deportation.

On a completely unrelated note, the Cambodian countryside is beautiful.

Overall the two films complement each other well- both show a side to the personal experiences behind immigration to the United States and their native countries. Of the two I prefer Golden Venture more, possibly because it had a more substantial plot and showed tougher circumstances.