Episode 397: EL NORTE (1983)

After being forced from their home, two Guatemalan refugees have no choice but to flee north. Lured by the sheen of capitalist excess in the pages of Good Housekeeping, siblings Rosa and Enrique make the dangerous trek across the US/Mexico border, only to find the dream lives they were promised are nearly impossible for people like them to achieve. EL NORTE director Gregory Nava traveled to Minneapolis in August 2026 for special screenings of the 4K remaster at the Trylon. Several screenings included introductions and Q\&A sessions of his breakout film, bringing it back into the spotlight as it finds new relevance amid the punishing immigration crackdown of Operation Metro Surge and other ICE operations across the nation. Give to these causes in need during ICE’s occupation of Minnesota: https://mn50501.org/donate Support Minnesotans defending their communities from ICE: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ @sanctuarysupplydepot: Mutual aid group in Mpls getting basic necessities to our houseless neighbors https://linktr.ee/sanctuarysupplydepot @mplsmutualaid: Clearinghouse of mutual aid for our neighbors: https://linktr.ee/mplsmutualaid ISAIAH, an interfaith group fighting for racial and economic justice in MN: https://secure.everyaction.com/G8TCnxFlE0qd9zlUEYjjeg2 Show love to North Minneapolis families in crisis: https://www.gofundme.com/f/show-love-to-north-minneapolis-families-in-crisis References: “Journeys North” by Luis Lopez for Perisphere, the Trylon blog: https://www.perisphere.org/2026/08/14/journeys-north/ Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets at https://www.trylon.org/ Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog, at https://www.perisphere.org/perisphere-blog-post-guidelines/ #OtherProgramming #4K Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “Tierra Mestiza” by Los Folkloristas from the EL NORTE soundtrack. Timestamps 00:00 - Episode 397: EL NORTE (1983) 2:12 - Whadja Watch This Week? 20:42 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 23:31 - Seeing EL NORTE with a Q\&A by director Gregory Nava 29:07 - The editing and visual flow 49:57 - The shift out of the first act and into hell 57:37 - Empathy and persuasion 1:01:21 - How Rosa and Enrique have to change to fit in in Los Angeles 1:11:14 - The ending and what Enrique takes with him into his life in America 1:30:47 - The Junk Drawer 1:43:39 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1983 1:45:41 - Cody’s Noteys: El Formate (trivia about the first films released on various film formats)