DANCES WITH FILMS 2026 REVIEW! Solidarity is director/writer Dustin Brown’s debut feature, expanded from his short film. Inés (Elpidia Carrillo) is a Mexican immigrant working as a seamstress. Tomas (Mantas Valentiejus) is a Lithuanian Jew working in a butcher shop. They are both struggling to survive in the L.A. fashion district, dealing with indifferent or openly hostile Americans. Though they come from different backgrounds, they share the trauma of displacement and soul-crushing, criminally underpaid work for exploitative bosses.
Inés is planning to attend her daughter’s wedding, but is told by her supervisor, Miguel (Daniel Edward Mora), that she must work that weekend. She commits to an impossible deadline to get the weekend off. Meanwhile, one of the young women in the sweatshop is badly injured, and Inés looks after the girl. When a complaint is made about the unsafe conditions, a labor investigator named Eric (Todd Stashwick) interviews Inés about the shop. She’s reluctant to open up to him. The trauma of the sweatshop peaks when ICE raids it and abducts the injured young woman.
Tomas is a butcher working for Frank (Michael Harney), who sees himself as a good guy for hiring the Lithuanian immigrant, but is in fact, a horrific taskmaster. His “tough love” approach is brutal and disingenuous. Tomas is determined to press on, underpaid by Frank, and pressured by his landlord’s daughter, Kristina (Norma Kuhling) to pay the rent on time for his grungy apartment. Tomas’ dog, Jack, is his only companion, and when he’s run over by a car, Tomas is devastated. He blames himself for leaving the screen door open, but a darker truth emerges about how Jack got out.
The film plays out along parallel lines as we move between Inés and Tomas, each from a different culture, but suffering in the same oppressed underclass. While the two characters don’t interact, their similar experiences speak of the shared horrors of a place they came to hoping to improve their lives.
“… a Lithuanian immigrant struggling to make ends meet as a butcher …”
Brown’s inspiration comes from the lives of his wife, who is a Lithuanian Jew, and his best friend, who is an undocumented Mexican immigrant. He says, “These experiences helped shape the film’s cross-cultural perspective and emotional core.” He described the evolution of the film in his submission notes: “… a 10-year journey of perseverance and grassroots tenacity…Through initial self-financing, we shot enough to cut together a trailer. That trailer caught the attention of Darren Aronofsky, who came on board as an Executive Producer…”
Having the backing of a well-known director attracted a stellar cast. Valentiejus and Carillo carry the film with superb performances. Stashwick and Harney are known for high-profile television roles. Despite the budget, Brown delivers an exquisite production.
Brown brings the viewer on an emotionally charged cinematic exploration of the condescending disregard many Americans hold for immigrants. The ICE raid is particularly infuriating. We’ve seen it here and in HBO medical drama The Pitt. We watched the real-life barbaric murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti on the news. Artists reminding us of these violent, unconstitutional acts by unqualified secret agents raises awareness, and also serves to document this dark time in our history.
Solidarity does what great cinema should, putting us in the shoes of others to know their experiences vicariously.
Solidarity screened at the 2026 Dances with Films. Learn more at the official Solidarity website.
"…an emotionally charged exploration of the disregard many Americans hold for immigrants."
