El Norte told the story of a Guatemalan brother and sister who fled the hostility and the mistreatment at home and voyaged to the north trying to find a new home in the United States.  Their parents have been killed, their father was killed for planning to revolt against their employers. He was decapitated and they hung his head from a tree. Their mother was taken and she was executed . This left the two siblings, Enrique and Rosa, to fend for themselves. They can't stay in Guatemala so they have to journey on to the north to the states in order to find a new home where they feel they belong.

El Norte is a great piece of art directed by Gregory Nava and written by Anna Thomas. The movie has many symbolic scenes.. It uses many symbols like the birds, flowers, and most importantly the circles. Identifying these symbols and being able to interpret their meaning into the movie gives you a deeper meaning. Unlike other movies with the fancy green screen and all the CGI put in these other blockbuster movies, this movie was shot on sight. So when the movie says it is taking place in Guatemala, it shows you Guatemala. This shows how much thought and hard work was put into making this movie.