American Dirt

Soledad thanks Lydia for saving them, but Lydia confesses it was Luca’s idea. The group encounters a doctor named Ricardo Montañero-Alcán, who offers them food and medical attention. Lydia asks about migrant services in the nearby town of Navolato and the more distant city of Culiacán. Ricardo tells her the roads are unsafe at night and suggests they try the local church. He offers his help again, at which point Luca asks for proof he is a doctor. Ricardo shows him an ID card. Soledad asks about Ricardo’s motives. He touches the crucifix around his neck and cites a line from scripture. The group travels to a motel where Ricardo buys food and pays for a room. Soledad wakes in the middle of the night and miscarries.

Ricardo returns in the morning, buys the migrants breakfast, and drives them to Culiacán. Two well-dressed women hand out tamales by the tracks, while a third reads from the Bible. Luca eats even though he isn’t hungry. Railway employees stand by as the migrants board the train. Lydia wonders why the government spends millions to clear migrants from some places while turning a blind eye in others. A little girl named Ximenita climbs aboard and tells Soledad her aunt needs a waitress, but she is recruiting girls for sex work.