The Perez Family (1995)

Based on the novel by Christine Bell, the spirited drama The Perez Family (1995) tells of a group of Cuban refugees who forms an impromptu family in a bid to beat the tough immigration restrictions imposed by the U.S. Marisa Tomei stars as Dorita, a feisty young Cuban woman who pretends to be the wife of Juan (Alfred Molina), a political prisoner, in the hopes that it will get both of their passports stamped. Juan, meanwhile, is obsessed with discovering the whereabouts of his missing wife (Anjelica Huston), who’s shacked up with a detective who has the power to send Juan right back to where he came from. Mira Nair’s film is a colorful, multicultural tapestry, but it gets the most mileage out of its two female stars, who prove ravishing in their passionate and oft-revealing roles.