Documented
CNN FILMS
In this film, Filipino immigrant and former Washington Post reporter Jose Antonio Vargas does what he does best: tell a story—in this case, his own, with an eye toward humanizing the debate over America’s 12 million undocumented immigrants. Since revealing his undocumented status in a 2011 New York Times Magazine article, Vargas has traveled the nation pushing reform and sparking difficult conversations with lawmakers and voters. But one place he hasn’t been able to go is the Philippines. Documented, which shuttles between Vargas’ New York City flat and his mother’s home in Manila—with a stop at a Mitt Romney town hall meeting along the way—is sprinkled with heartbreaking scenes of their complex relationship, strained by 20 years of separation. Keep a box of tissues handy.
