Frayland

"Fray-Landia" is written on a sign hanging above the entrance to a simple playground in Fray Bentos, a small town in Uruguay close to the border with Argentina. Archive footage reveals that this was the home of a large meat processing plant until 1984, when the Arabs who were supposed to take it over suddenly through in the towel. Twenty-five years later, the Finnish company Botnia has established an ultramodern wood pulp factory in Fray Bentos, the largest in the world. But while most residents welcome the arrival of a new employer, the inhabitants of Gualeguaychú, just over the border in Argentina, organize a sustained protest. They are afraid of environmental pollution for one thing, and of course they don't trust multinationals, either. They've been blocking the bridge that serves as the border between the two countries for three years now. The filmmakers observe the situation on both sides of the border, following several of the individuals involved: passionate demonstrators, Finnish expats who enjoy the beautiful weather, and a local woman who reads the love letters she received from a factory employee who went home to Europe. The two countries have brought their conflict before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and the film works its way toward the ultimate verdict.