LA FRONTERA INFINITA

Right now a formidable 1123 kilometre long fence is being built between Mexico and USA, the latest in a long line of attempts to stem the flow of Central American migrants who head north in search of a better life. Every year, close to half a million people pass through Mexico hoping to evade capture and persecution by the Mexican police and risk life and limb in their efforts to cross the border. Many fail, but a grim determination pushes them to try and try again to reach their goal, even those who have lost legs and arms on the railway lines trying to get on trains destined for USA.

Instead of relying on statistics to illustrate the trials and tribulations of illegal migration, The Infinite Border simply tells the stories of the men, women and children you can find en route through Mexico, and resists the temptation to cast them as mere victims. A thoughtful voice-over adds a critical angle, prompting us to question common perceptions of immigrants and to explore both the physical and mental implications of the border.

"It wasn't a question of showing the reasons for migration, or the percentages or statistics, it was about offering a story told by its own protagonists, not by a director deliberately manipulating things so as to appear as the noble defender of migrants' rights. And so it went. Along the way, in shelters and train stations, few wanted to take on the role of victim. They laughed, made fun of each other, talked of hope, prepared food, washed clothes, meditated, played soccer, waited, sang. It became less a film about Central American migration and more one about human beings with problems shared by the rest of humanity. A movie about complex beings, full of contradictions, much more than poor migrants." -Juan Manuel Sepúlveda