One family. Two cultures. Three very
different daughters.
In intimate, vivid detail, My American Girls captures the joys and struggles over a year in the lives of the Ortiz family, first generation immigrants from the Dominican Republic. Matthews’ film captures the rewards – and costs – of pursuing the American dream. From hard-working parents, who imagine retiring to their rural homeland, to fast-tracking American-born daughters, caught between their parent’s values and their own, the film encompasses the contradictions of contemporary immigrant life.


Praise
“My American Girls stands as one of the strikingly few full-length profiles of Dominican immigrants in any genre.”
-The New York Times
“Packed with uncommon honesty and humor.”
-Los Angeles Times
“A heart-warming story of bi-cultural vitality.”
-Chicago Sun-Times
“Intense and beautiful portrait.”
-La Raza