Western

This movie is a documentary, and its value is in the picture it paints, the story it tells, and not in any dramatic development. It contrasts the unity and harmony of people on both sides of the border with the construction of the border fence by Homeland Security, and the paranoia of politicians in Washington, and in Austin, with the seamless movement of peoples from both sides of the river. Having grown up in West Texas, this movie was a nostalgia trip for me. The fear and xenophobia of the bureaucrats is contrasted with the reasonableness of the mayors of Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras. Unfortunately, both of these men are now deceased, the mayor of Piedras Negras in a plane crash during the filming of the movie and Chad Foster from cancer after the movie was completed. We could use their reasonableness today when the forces of fear work to drive the peoples of the Rio Grande farther apart.

I was looking forward to seeing Western at Austin SXSW Film Festival, but frankly I came away deeply disappointed. Like their previous film 45365, the film seemed pointless. I found myself shifting in my seat and looking at the time on my phone and wondering when the film would be over and if anything would ever actually happen. The film has no story, no direction and no dramatic arc to the narrative. Many of its scenes could have been filmed almost anywhere in America – at least in rural America. We see a small town mayor speaking in platitudes about US-Mexican cooperation and a rancher trying to raise his young daughter. Yes, there was a rodeo and a sick cow with diarrhea. Is their point that Eagle Pass, TX is pretty much like anywhere else in America? The film is supposedly about the drug war in Mexico and its impact on Eagle Pass, but that subtext is poorly explored. Some of the people talk about it and seem to play it down and seem angry that the government has prevented the importation of Mexican cattle. But with no narration, no experts to provide context to the film there seems to be little point. There is nothing to really learn and I didn't feel better informed when I left the film than when I went in. As in 45365, the film seems overly romantic and uncritical of the problems of small town life. Everything just seems to be hunky-dory. There is no real critical lens to understand the problems of Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Mexico. While the camera work was often quite beautiful and there was an artistic quality to it, I don't think art is valuable for its own sake unless it is attempting to express profound idea or ask serious questions about our society. Western did neither. A picture of a bird may be pretty, but I can look out my window and see that. I admit this sort of work is inherently subjective and others might find Western enjoyable, but this observer was disappointed and frustrated by these obviously talented filmmakers who don't seem to be applying their talents in a manner that is worthy of their technical skills.