East of Hope Street

Some of the more important credits of the movie:

Several interesting articles about the production of the movie can be read here and here.

Reviews of the film are available here (the negative one) and here (the positive one). Another site to check out might be this one.

"East of Hope Street" is a very touching movie. The heroine, Alicia, goes through hell and back: civil war at home, her parents killed, she and her little brother live with a drug-addicted aunt in L.A. When authorities notice that Alicia obviously gets beaten a lot, the children are brought to different foster homes. The separation from her brother is hard on Alicia, but the horror is far from over... She overcomes all obstacles, though, with the help of some friends. She is a remarkable person - and what's even more remarkable, the movie is based on a true story. Things like that happen every day.
Of course a story like that hugely depends on the lead actress portraying Alicia. Jade Herrera seems ideal for the part. She has an incredible range and is convincing in every single scene, incredibly tender and warm in the scenes with the children (Alicia's brother and later her son as well), she can be terrified, shocked, surprised, in love, idealistic, strong. Her plea to give Alicia a chance and let her stay in the United States is particularly touching. She really is the star of this movie. The supporting cast is fabulous as well, every character well drawn and believable. The story is a great commentary on certain aspects of society. I also like the fact that it does show us hope: it is possible to come out on top, to make your dreams come true, if only you try hard enough - and if you have some help. Maybe Alicia would not have found the strength within herself without her friends: social workers Bianca and Casey (Tim Russ), her ill-fated friend Rosa, and without the people she cares about: her little brother, her son, her boy-friend Carlos. But all these people are there and meeting them and interacting with them helps her to find her way and to gather her little family around her in the end.