Netflix's Living Undocumented is an unprecedented portrayal of life as an undocumented immigrant

Vulture

Superstore, Orange Is the New Black and Jane the Virgin have all recently tried to capture the life of an undocumented immigrant. "But as thought-provoking as those fictional portrayals are, none could be as revealing as the six-part documentary series Living Undocumented, which debuts on Netflix (Wednesday)," says Maria Elena Fernandez. "By following eight families who live in six different states, hail from six different countries, and have varied problems with their immigration status, Living Undocumented goes inside the experience of life as an undocumented immigrant in the United States with unprecedented intimacy. Other documentaries have certainly tackled aspects of this complex issue from a personal standpoint. Epix’s America Divided featured actor America Ferrera exploring the challenges facing Central American refugees on the Texas border. The Infiltrators, the winner of this year’s NEXT Audience Award at Sundance, blended documentary filmmaking with scripted narrative to tell the story of two undocumented Florida activists who recorded life inside detention centers. But in Living Undocumented, viewers spend time inside the homes, businesses, and workplaces of families being torn apart by laws and policies that don’t always make sense — families whose daily lives center around possible deportation."