November is unlike any other month for the residents of East Los Angeles. Every year, two high school rivals, Garfield and Roosevelt, face each other in an emblematic football game. The event draws support from more than 25,000 locals. This traditional game is known as El Clásico (the Classic). For these teenager student athletes, to compete represents a glorious moment before facing adult life and the future, either going to college or working to take care of their families. In many ways, this much-anticipated game functions as a rite of passage. The long year of training and preparation, followed by the subsequent season, is insightfully portrayed in this documentary.

Sensitively directed by Billy McMillin, The All-Americans doesn’t focus exclusively on the game between the two schools. The director explores the Latino residents of this vast community during a crucial time when anti-immigration rhetoric is on the rise. The many testimonies from parents, girlfriends, and coaches enhance this collective portrayal of East LA.

The youngsters who nowadays study at Garfield or Roosevelt belong to a second or third generation of immigrant parents who came to America seeking a better future for their children. These teenagers have a different relationship with their cultural heritage and the countries where their parents come from. However, the news reminds them every day that they and their families aren’t considered “Americans” in the eyes of some.

Meanwhile, playing a sport so typically American creates community spirit and a sense of belonging that bridges the gap between the United States and the cultural identity that represents their origins. (One of the coaches states that soccer or baseball are more popular in Latin American countries.) After a quick look in the back of the uniforms, you read only Spanish last names of players committed to a sport that doesn’t feel foreign to them.

The real purpose of McMillin’s film isn’t to make us choose one winning team but instead to appreciate the similarities that ennobled both rivals. His film provides an endearing and down-to-earth look on the teenagers who fully engage in their respective teams while they deal with their particular dreams, hopes, and frustrations in the face of tomorrow. Many of them expect answers from their college applications. Others aren’t entirely sure if they will continue to study. Some are aware that they will stay in the same place, so they hold on to the possibility of a triumph in the Classic as long as it lasts. One of the more prominent participants is the Garfield quarterback, Joseph, who, at 16, already has a daughter. He hasn’t dropped out yet, but adult responsibilities are just around the corner.

Maybe as a sports movie, The All-Americans is not so exciting. By the moment Garfield and Roosevelt finally face each other in the Classic, we already know the players to care about them, but we don’t want anyone to lose. It doesn’t matter who will win.

McMillin successfully points out what being American can mean beyond race or national origin. His is an optimistic plea to reconsider our future and not to compromise the present of immigrant people, who live and suffer for the American dream in goodwill.