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Last month, my grandfather passed away at the ripe old age of 97. Grandpa was only nine months old when he and his family boarded a ship from the Netherlands and set out for a new life in a new world. Today, the immigration process isn’t really dangerous, and it doesn’t require an enormous, life-long commitment. It just means hopping on a plane and filling out the required forms. But Golden Door (Nuovomondo) shows the time, courage, and commitment that immigration required in the early 1900s, when Grandpa’s family decided to come to the States.
Inspired by images of a land where money grows on trees and vegetables grow to enormous sizes, Salvatore Mancuso (Vincenzo Amato) decides to pack up his mother and his two sons, leave their lives in rural Italy, and make a new life in America. As they prepare to board the ship, they meet Lucy Reed (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a beautiful, red-headed, English-speaking woman who pretends to be traveling with the Mancuso family. The rumors about the mysterious woman spread around the ship, and Salvatore becomes fascinated by her, quietly following her around the ship until she finally stops to talk to him—and to present him with a surprising proposal.
At the heart of Golden Door is the story of the Mancusos and their journey to America. The film follows the family as they make the decision to leave their homeland, as they board the ship to the New World, and as they’re forced to endure a series of tests upon reaching Ellis Island. As a film about immigration in the early 1900s, it’s fascinating, filled with stunning imagery and memorable scenes—my favorite being the moment when the crowds on the ship slowly part from the crowds left behind on land.
Unfortunately, though, Golden Door isn’t the powerful film that it could have been. The problems start right from the beginning—when an initial confusion of strange characters and old-world rituals makes it difficult to really get into the story. Later, though, you’ll start to realize that there isn’t really much of a story. The film follows the Mancusos—and Lucy—but very little really happens to them, other than the typical rigors of the journey and the challenges they face once they reach the New World. Viewers never really get the opportunity to get to know the characters—or to truly care about them.
Even the things that do happen along the way, however, are difficult to understand. There’s very little dialogue, which leaves viewers to try to figure out for themselves what’s going on and what it’s supposed to mean. There are also some strange fantasy scenes that don’t work with the rest of the film—and other scenes are often drawn out much longer than necessary.
In the end, what could have been a strong and memorable film about an immigrant family’s journey to America becomes a long and puzzling film about…well, I’m not entirely sure. And, unfortunately, the beautiful and memorable moments end up lost in a sea of confusion.
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