Sin Fronteras Review from 22 Indie Street.
|
Written by: Ricardo Perez-Selsky | Directed by: Ricardo Perez-Selsky | Genre: Drama/Short film |
| Starting with a blast of images involving what’s going on in Mexico and a woman quickly packing some belongings, and a gun is a great attention grabber. Because of what has been going on, Juliana (Amber Lee Ettinger) grabs her bag with the gun, and quickly ushers her son out the door as he tells her he just saw his father on television. In a minute or two, we already have a basic idea of what Sin Fronteras is about, but we only know half the story. Not so far away, Elizabeth (Alexis Johnson) is being somewhat berated for missing a photo opportunity with her husband, congressman Sharp. She brushes it off and clearly doesn’t care all that much. This is a story point that adds a lot of credibility to this film. Shortly after, Elizabeth and Juliana bump into each other, and Juliana sees the perfect way to get her and her son to safety across the border. Elizabeth is white, drives a decent car, and should be able to get across the border with no problem. Juliana sets in motion her plan, making her son fake an illness as she screams at Elizabeth to please get them to a hospital. The three get in the car.
Once Elizabeth realizes it’s not a hospital Juliana needs, she has a gun pulled on her. Juliana demands she take them across the border. Pleads with her, and Elizabeth complies. At first, because she’s scared, but then simply to help this poor woman who needs to get her son to safety. As Sin Fronteras follows the three across the border, we viewers quickly learn that border security was not the real problem, and that the real problem is on the American side of the border. As you probably guessed, what comes next involves some hicks doing their own border patrols, and using hate as their guide, things escalate quickly. I won’t spoil the final scenes of this awesome short film, but things get bad and fast. This film has a lot of action style segments that fit perfectly into the movie. These segments are also really scary, not so much for the onscreen action, but the overall idea. One thing this film does well is keep you watching and biting your nails. Man. Does that gun ever look big in Juliana’s hands. I know that’s a weird statement but seeing it really cemented the fact that this woman will do anything to protect her boy. It worked as a visual illusion pointing to one hard fact. Even the best of us get scared and eventually reach a breaking point. But what Sin Fronteras really reminded me of, was how two completely different people can always find common ground. Unless we’re talking about an evil supervillain or something like that, but that’s not the point, or story, of this film. If two unrelated people, from totally different lives, can work together for a common good, then why can’t we? This film is political, no doubt, but it’s the layers of story and hope, that really make this short film shine. Ricardo Perez-Selsky has written a great script, and with the help of some great actors, has made a great film. This is one of those movies that offers something to think about after the credits roll. 4.5 stars, and thank you for reading. Find this title online |
Related Posts
