Sleep Dealer

Sleep Dealer is set in a near-future Mexico where international borders have closed and water supplies fall under corporate control. Memo Cruz, a young farmer who lives with his family and has a strong interest in technology, becomes a victim of remote warfare when a missile destroys his home. He flees and takes work as a network laborer, having interfaces implanted in his body so he can operate construction robots on the other side of the border while remaining in Mexico. He meets Luz Martínez, a journalist who sells her dreams and thoughts through the network, and along with a third character their paths converge; the three risk their safety as they try to work against the system that exploits them.

The film was directed by Alex Rivera, who wrote the screenplay with David Riker, and produced by Anthony Bregman. It stars Luis Fernando Peña, Leonor Varela, and Jacob Vargas, with supporting roles for Metztli Adamina, José Concepción Macías, and Tenoch Huerta Mejía. Made for about 3 million dollars and running 89 minutes, it blends drama, science fiction, and thriller elements, drawing on Mexican settings and the cross-border labor arrangement at its center. It was released in late 2008.

On IMDb the film holds a rating of 6 out of 10 from roughly 6,800 votes, and on TMDB it has 5.9 out of 10 from around 133 votes. A critics' rating of 6.7 out of 10 from 33 reviews places it somewhat above the audience scores.