WHATEVER HAPPENS IN FRONTERA DOES NOT STAY THERE
In the pre-cellphone age, communications moved more slowly, including efforts of Mexicans to get across the border into Arizona (actual filming is in New Mexico). One such migrant, Miguel (played by Michael Peña), goes along with an amigo and, after crossing the border, is met on horseback by Olivia (Amy Madigan), wife of ex-cop Roy (Ed Harris). En route, filmviewers see evidence of children who died trying to cross and large sums of money to pay for the passage. Whereas Olivia generously gives the duo water, a blanket, and directions to the place where they will be hired, three high school boys decide that day to shoot rifles at entering Mexicans “just to scare them.” However, one accidentally shoots Olivia, whose horse veers suddenly, ejecting Olivia, whose head hits a rock in her descent and soon dies. Hearing shots, Roy comes to the scene of the shooting and witnesses his wife’s death. Miguel, whose mug shot is on file from a previous illegal entry and deportation, is picked up as the likely suspect when Roy spots his photo from a file of mug shots. However, Roy is not so sure that Miguel is guilty, so he engages in a forensic search at the scene of the crime and locates bullet casings, which are traced to the three boys. One of the boys is the son of the police officer who replaced Roy on the force. So the main question in the film is whether the criminal justice system will be biased or work properly. However, there is an important subplot: When Miguel telephones long distance to México to inform his attractive wife Paulina (Eve Longoria) to inform her that he is in prison, under arrest for murder, she decides to go north to support him. Filmviewers now observe a truckload of migrants, who have to pay big bucks to be driven to the border. Paulina, however, is placed in a separate van to be raped. When the migrants arrive in Phoenix, including Paulina, they are and stashed away in a garage of a house with a For Sale sign, as their captors try to extort ransom for some or sale to employers. Frontera, directed by Michael Berry, presents many unexpected elements in the migration of Mexicans to the United States, and the outcome of the main plot may be the most unexpected part of the film. MH