Written and directed by Gregory Nava (who was nominated some years back for his film El Norte,) Bordertown is based on some frightening facts. The border town of Ciudad Juarez was home to vicious rapes and murders of women who worked in American owned factories, a shocking state of affairs that is said to still be happening today.
With a cast of fine actors including Jennifer Lopez, Martin Sheen and Antonio Banderas, Bordertown explores the possibilities of actions taken by those committed to seeking both the truth of the matter and justice for those who were harmed.
Bordertown begins with simultaneous stories. Chicago Sentinel reporter Lauren Adrian (Jennifer Lopez) has been sent by her editor George Morgan (Martin Sheen) to Juarez to investigate the murders. At the same time, young Eva (Maya Zapata) has been abducted on her way home from the factory where she works, brutally assaulted, raped and left for dead in the desert.
Attempting to enlist the aid of her former writing partner Diaz Alfonso (Antonio Banderas) who is now the editor of the Juarez Sol, the only paper that tells the truth, Lauren’s path soon crosses that of Eva. Vowing to protect the girl from her attackers, as well as bring her story to the rest of the world, Lauren is not only investigating, but is living the story of a lifetime.
She is as much in danger as the victims, as she tries to catch the criminals and obtain justice for Eva and the other women.
Maya Zapata is heartbreakingly convincing in her portrayal of Eva, innocent and wounded, yet courageous enough to fight her way back from the grave to seek justice. Jennifer Lopez is a wonderfully strong character as Lauren. The reporter’s hard edge is transformed by Eva’s plight into sheer backbone. Lauren takes on the criminals, pushing ahead with her investigations to discover far more than she expected.
Bordertown has so many things happening, the story almost seems fractured at times, causing some harm to the overall flow and impact. The viewer can get lost in a myriad of depressing situations, as there are the murders and attacks and the fear generated, juxtaposed with the politics that allow such brutality to exist.
As if the murders were not enough to deal with, there are the downtrodden communities where extreme poverty is reality, and everyone but the citizens of Juarez seeming to profit from less than above board dealings. There is just too much to comprehend in the span of one movie.
Perhaps if a single element of the story was explored in depth, all the other aspects would benefit. But then, maybe this is how it really is…….bad piled on horror, hopelessness only sponged away for a short while by the few people who care. It is a chilling look at an unhappy reality.
Bordertown is presented in full frame format with a playing time of 114 minutes. Subtitles are available in both English and Spanish. There is a bounty of special features on the disk including, “Exposing the Juarez Murders: The making of Bordertown”; “Dual Injustice” a WITNESS.org documentary short; “La Frontera” a documentary short by Barbara Martinez Jitner; “Make a Difference! Get Involved!” information on whatyou can do to help from Amnesty International and WITNESS.org and the Bordertown trailer and gallery.
This is a difficult movie to watch, the violence and pain are horrific, especially with the realization that these things are not just fictitious accounts brought to life on the screen.
Bordertown is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
Your Talkback on this Story