The title itself says a lot about Spanish director Antonio Méndez Esparza’s film. This is not a place for spectacular visions, exuberant dreams or great prospects. Life is reduced to a gray, everyday grind—a routine repeated over and over again. Regina is raising her teenage son Andrew and 4-year-old daughter Ry’nesia alone. She has to divide her time between her parental responsibilities and unsatisfying work at a local bar. Andrew tries to do his part by helping out with his sister, but he doesn’t want his mother to spread her wings—he reacts with hostility to any new man that shows up in her life. On the one hand he misses his incarcerated father, on the other he realizes he could end up just like him. But this African-American family has more to deal with than the adversities of fate—they also have to face a society in which they’re marginalized. Life & Nothing More has the look and feel of a documentary, largely because the director shuns formal experiments, concentrating primarily on simplicity and observation. He also makes the brave decision to use non-professional actors, who turn in excellent performances. A bitter portrait of America in the Donald Trump era.