Production Companies Alta Films, Alta Producción S.L. Unipersonal, BIM, Bac Films, British Screen Productions, British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), Cinart, Degeto Film, FilmFour, Filmcoopi Zürich, Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen, La Sept-Arte, Parallax Pictures, Road Movies Filmpr
Studio Alta Films, Bac Films, BiM Distribution, British Screen, BSkyB, Cineart, Filmcooperative Zürich, Parallax Pictures, Road Movies Filmproduktion, Tornasol Films
Other Titles • Bread and Roses (2000) • Bread & Roses
Synopses for Bread and Roses (2000)
1.
Maya is a spirited young Mexican woman who is propelled by her dreams of a better life in America. After a close call with border guards and unscrupulous "coyotes" who smuggle her into the country, she arrives in Los Angeles, ready and eager to work. Her older sister, Rosa, a married woman with two children and a sick husband, is painfully aware of the realities awaiting Latinos in the U.S. But Maya is relentlessly optimistic and grateful for every opportunity, including the chance to join Rosa at her job cleaning office buildings at night.
Quickly, Maya's optimism sours. Her lecherous boss demands a commission of two months' salary just for giving her the job, the hours are long, the wages are ridiculously low, and there is no security. The janitors in Maya's group are always subject to the whims of their volatile boss. Only Reuben, a young co-worker who is saving his money to go to law school, imagines a better life for himself. The other janitors are reconciled to their fates, until Sam, a young and disarming union organizer, opens their eyes.
He explains that union janitors enjoy higher wages, paid vacations, and medical benefits. Maya and her friends should join the "Justice for Janitors" campaign, persuading office buildings that hire cheaper, non-union cleaning contractors to work with the Service Employees International Union. Surprised that she has "rights," Maya helps Sam to rally the janitors in her circle, encouraging them to participate in meetings and demonstrations.
Maya's political and social awakening is a difficult one. Her rush of empowerment is undercut by Rosa's insistence that her younger sister face certain ugly truths. Rosa reveals that she worked as a prostitute in Mexico to support her parents and siblings and that she had to sleep with her boss to secure Maya her job as a janitor. She does not believe in fairy tale endings and is opposed to any involvement with a union. She warns that if Maya persists in fighting for her rights, there will be a price to pay.
From acclaimed director Ken Loach comes the gripping story of a group of immigrant workers who take a stand against the million dollar corporations who employ them. Newly arrived illegal immigrant Maya (Pilar Padilla) has just joined her sister on the job as a janitor in a downtown LA office building. Appalled at the work conditions and unfair labor practices, she teams up with Sam (Adrain Brody) a labor organizer, to fight their ruthless employer.
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