I’m No Longer Here review – vibrant immigration drama requires some patience

Exploring, as it does, two hot button issues of our time – immigration and alienation – one might expect I'm No Longer Here to be a film with fire in its belly and powerful socio-political messaging. Yet while it does take some firm ideological stances, Fernando Frias' slow-moving drama is more of a hangout movie than anything else. It chucks you into a largely unexplored world, with a group of stubborn teenagers as guides, and leaves you to explore at a very leisurely pace.

Set in Monterrey, Mexico, and New York, I’m No Longer Here serves as a deep dive into the Cholombiano sub-culture. A mix of youthful posturing, striking haircuts, and a unique dance style known as “cumbia,” it makes for an intriguing backdrop. Within this world, 17-year-old Ulises (Juan Daniel Garcia) flourishes. He’s the paternalistic leader of a young gang called the Terkos, and is well-liked by his local community.

Garcia’s performance is initially a bit grating, but slowly grows on you, Ulises’ sullen disconnect from the world in his home life melting away any time he’s able to go dancing with his friends. This relatively harmonious balance is shattered, though, when Ulises gets on the wrong side of a local narco, who threatens him with death before having some of his friends killed in a drive by shooting.

Ulises has to scramble out of Mexico, finding himself working in a construction crew in New York, bullied by his fellow labourers and isolated by his complete lack of English. It’s here that Frias most effectively outlines the displacement felt by his lead. Already something of an outsider in Mexico due to his preferences in fashion and music, he becomes exponentially more lonely as he loses all his access to anyone who might hold common interests with him.

Frias finds a way to make New York feel unfamiliar – no mean feat given how often it’s filmed – exploring the city’s rooftops and immigrant housing and avoiding any recognisable landmarks. I’m No Longer Here is not politically heavy, however, and the introduction of the good natured Lin (Angelina Chen), granddaughter of Ulises’ employer, marks the start of a sweet romance that's impeded by a language barrier.

These scenes are engaging, but they’re separated by too many self-indulgently slow sequences of dancing or exploring. I’m No Longer Here could easily be 20 minutes shorter and, although the cinematography is excellent, the languorous pace can get tiresome. The best hangout movies, like Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused and Everybody Wants Some!!, aren’t just easygoing; they work hard on being immersive and, most importantly, funny. Frias' film doesn’t have enough of that particular magic to make its duller segments feel worth the effort.

It all comes together for a wonderful finale, though, Frias salvaging the film in its last 10 minutes. Reflective and poetic, it gives new significance to the baggily structured shooting-the-breeze scenes that precede it, as well as saving the film’s most striking image for last. If you can stick with I’m No Longer Here to the end, your patience will (just about) be rewarded.

I’m No Longer Here is now streaming on Netflix.