One Frontier, All Frontiers

The opening shots show what this documentary is all about: a long wall bisecting land and beach, and the United States of America from Mexico. In 2006, the Secure Fence Act was adopted by the U.S. government, enabling the construction of a wall along the 2,000 miles of the country's border with Mexico. The aim was to put an end to the stream of illegal immigrants into the United States from Mexico and Latin America. Devoid of commentary, the film shows how separated families and loved ones maintain contact with one another: they meet at the partition, where in some places they are able to touch each other through a metal grille. At Christmas, families and friends gather on opposite sides of the fence, sing, and throw gifts to one another over the border. In a refuge in Mexico, a mother worries about her children, left behind in Denver, and an older woman makes plans to return to the U.S. She weighs up the options: through a tunnel or over the mountains. Some scenes on the beach at Tijuana are shown in the form of a photo reportage, stressing the surreal nature of the wall even further.