Stable Life

America ReFramed Season 3
  • Feature Film
  • 2015
  • 56 Mins

Dionicia Martinez and her teenage son, José Luis, have gambled their futures on the hardscrabble sport of horse racing. While gamblers make long-shot bets in the hopes of winning big, Dionicia, much like 11 million undocumented immigrants in America, stakes her life on finding a way out of poverty. In fact she lives in the stables at a California racetrack and works long hours caring for racehorses while José Luis is turning heads as a hotshot apprentice jockey. Dionicia dreams of bringing her two sons who remain in Mexico to join her in the U.S. But with the racetrack closing and her future uncertain, Dionicia must rethink her family's chances of finding a stable life.

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Film Credits

  • Sara MacPherson Producer, Director
  • Tricia Creason-Valencia Producer, New Media Director
  • Herb Ferrette Editor
  • Mark Arellano Cinematographer
  • Richard Martinez Composer

Critical Acclaim

...The film paints a fascinating portrait of the people who work hard to provide a future for their children despite their tough living conditions, terribly low wages, unfair treatment, and constant fear.

Michelle Drown, The Santa Barbara Independent