The Story
Exodus Stories explores a hot-button topic from the human perspective. The film follows three characters: Daisy, Dennis, and Cindy at different stages of their journey from Central America to the U.S. border.
Like many of the immigrants on the caravan, all three never expected or wanted to leave their respective Central American homes behind. When their situations turned dire, they made the difficult decision to leave everything they’ve ever known behind, but more than searching for an American Dream...they are escaping a Central American nightmare.
Exodus Stories interweaves their journeys as they travel with the migrant caravan and their quest to seek refuge and asylum in the United States. With their children in tow, they trek thousands of miles by foot, clutching for dear life on the back of an 18-wheeler trucks or traveling atop of the cargo freight train “La Bestia - El tren de la muerte” (The Beast - train of death) until they reach the border in Tijuana. Once there, the only legal way to entry is to register for asylum with the U.S. government and put their name on a list. It could take months for their name to be called. Awaiting their fate with next to no resources, desperation begins to set in. Some choose to put their faith in the asylum process, while a few take matters into their own hands.
Exodus Stories offers a powerful, unprecedented raw look the immigration process giving a complete picture of what that journey entails through the different stages: from fleeing a country, to traveling through Mexico to then awaiting at the border for weeks to get entry, to ultimately what happens to asylum seekers in the U.S - including the detention process.