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Valley of Tears

Play trailer Valley of Tears 2003 1h 20m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
89% Tomatometer 9 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
In 1979, documentarian Hart Perry begins chronicling striking Latino laborers in Raymondville, Texas, who demand an increase in minimum wage from the 25 cents per bag of onions picked they had been receiving for more than 20 years. In the 1990s, he returns during a controversial school board election as the Latino community struggles to elect a candidate of their own to the all-white board. In 2000, Perry comes back again to cover lawyer Juan Guerra's campaign for district attorney.

Critics Reviews

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Frank Scheck The Hollywood Reporter 12/18/2003
An ultimately moving effort that well illustrates the often hopeless situation faced by the people whose lives it depicts. Go to Full Review Dave Kehr New York Times 11/28/2003
3.5/5
Dense, contradictory and distressingly honest, Valley of Tears is that rarity among political documentaries: a genuinely thought-provoking film. Go to Full Review V.A. Musetto New York Post 11/28/2003
2/4
Perry, a longtime filmmaker, should have given the doc more urgency and punch. Go to Full Review Chris Hewitt St. Paul Pioneer Press 05/21/2004
The movie leaves us with a lot of questions, but its rawness draws attention to the cataclysmic social shift the workers are trying to achieve and the long odds against them. Go to Full Review Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice 12/04/2003
A hard-hitting documentary about the injustices heaped on the Mexican-American community of migrant workers by a small Texas town's white power brokers. Go to Full Review Joshua Tanzer Offoffoff 11/29/2003
2.5/4
Never feels very thorough but is well worth seeing for clues to the state of race relations from the '70s to the present, especially in out-of-the-way locales like rural Texas Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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03/25/2017 Honest. As a 9 year old in Raymondville during this time it brought back the unspoken racism and suppression that infects the town even today. See more Read all reviews
Valley of Tears

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Hart Perry

Director

Juan Gonzales

Writer

Hart Perry

Producer

David Sandoval

Executive Producer

Hart Perry

Cinematographer

Richard Lowe

Film Editing

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1979, documentarian Hart Perry begins chronicling striking Latino laborers in Raymondville, Texas, who demand an increase in minimum wage from the 25 cents per bag of onions picked they had been receiving for more than 20 years. In the 1990s, he returns during a controversial school board election as the Latino community struggles to elect a candidate of their own to the all-white board. In 2000, Perry comes back again to cover lawyer Juan Guerra's campaign for district attorney.
Director
Hart Perry
Producer
Hart Perry
Screenwriter
Juan Gonzales
Distributor
Seventh Art Releasing
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 28, 2003, Limited
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 4, 2014
Runtime
1h 20m