The new American-Mexican drama thriller film “City of Dreams” is sad and harrowing but also hopeful and redemptive.  It’s about a Mexican boy named Jesus (wonderfully played by Ari Lopez) who is smuggled across the border and sold to a sweatshop in downtown Los Angeles.  And all he wants is to become a soccer star.

Written and directed by Mohit Ramchandani, “City of Dreams” will break your heart into tiny little pieces and then strewn them together again, bit by bit.  I spent some time with both Lopez and Ramchandani to talk about the making of the film.

“City of Dreams” arrives in theaters on August 30th from Roadside Attractions.