The great migration flipped — now the dream runs in reverse, and nobody's winning.
25 million Brazilians are of Italian origin. Almost all of them are the descendants of the Italians who left poor rural Italy at the end of the 1800's for a continent which promised riches and a better life. After only a century however, the direction of migration has been completely reversed. Italy, a century ago the place to escape from, has in time taken its place in the first world, the longed for final destination of immigrants throughout the world. The only thing which does not seem to change is the plight of those forced to migrate.
Direction
Three directors, one voice — patient observation without exploitation.
Editing
Economical 65 minutes, every frame earns its weight.
Director
Federico Ferrone
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Brazil hosts the largest Italian population outside Italy, yet these reverse-migrants arrive as strangers to their own heritage.
The title's pun — 'Merica' as colloquial 'America' and bitter 'mercy' — captures the film's central irony: the promised land demands payment in full.
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