I located this film in a Redbox machine, and it was refreshing to view this thoughtful independent film.
"Hostile Border" may not be the best title for a film that barely touches on the topic of immigration. Rather, it is primarily a character study of a young woman apparently raised in the United States and deported to her native Mexico. For this reason, the original title "Pocha: Manifest Destiny" more accurately represents the spirit of the movie.
The film begins with a definition of the word "pocha," which is a slang term for a Chicana who speaks fluent English but has a limited grasp of the Spanish language. The central character named Claudia is played by a dynamic young actress named Veronica Sixtos. She carries the film on her shoulders from start to finish.
There is plenty of action, including scenes of violence, in this film, and it appears as though Claudia cannot avoid trouble at every turn of her life. After her deportation to Mexico and living with her father and grandmother on a cattle ranch, Claudia meets a nice young man named Arturo. But he has been playing a dangerous game with with a hustler named Ricky.
After Arturo is killed by Ricky, Claudia gets linked up in the illegal business activities of Ricky, using her father's ranch to help in his shady transactions. She also begins a bizarre and clearly unhealthy personal relationship with Ricky. The relationship may be motivated by Claudia's instincts for survival. But there are moments when she clearly stands up to Ricky and defines some boundaries for her own dignity.
There is a defining moment in the film when Claudia asserts to her father that she wants it all...and now! There is the sense that her upbringing in the United States has inculcated her into a twisted version of the American Dream.
To put it mildly, Claudia does not learn from her mistakes, but doubles down on her ill-defined goals of wealth. Her surface-level goal is to return (illegally) to America and pay off her mother's home mortgage. But it is also clear that Claudia really does not have deep ties to her family. It was never clear why she was so antagonistic to her hard-working father and why she would not listen to the wise counsel of her kind grandmother.
Viewers may be conflicted about the true nature of Claudia's character. But there is no doubt that the filmmakers created a thought-provoking profile of a young person filled with contradictions, yet great potential that is ultimately unrealized by the end of the film.
"Hostile Border" may not be the best title for a film that barely touches on the topic of immigration. Rather, it is primarily a character study of a young woman apparently raised in the United States and deported to her native Mexico. For this reason, the original title "Pocha: Manifest Destiny" more accurately represents the spirit of the movie.
The film begins with a definition of the word "pocha," which is a slang term for a Chicana who speaks fluent English but has a limited grasp of the Spanish language. The central character named Claudia is played by a dynamic young actress named Veronica Sixtos. She carries the film on her shoulders from start to finish.
There is plenty of action, including scenes of violence, in this film, and it appears as though Claudia cannot avoid trouble at every turn of her life. After her deportation to Mexico and living with her father and grandmother on a cattle ranch, Claudia meets a nice young man named Arturo. But he has been playing a dangerous game with with a hustler named Ricky.
After Arturo is killed by Ricky, Claudia gets linked up in the illegal business activities of Ricky, using her father's ranch to help in his shady transactions. She also begins a bizarre and clearly unhealthy personal relationship with Ricky. The relationship may be motivated by Claudia's instincts for survival. But there are moments when she clearly stands up to Ricky and defines some boundaries for her own dignity.
There is a defining moment in the film when Claudia asserts to her father that she wants it all...and now! There is the sense that her upbringing in the United States has inculcated her into a twisted version of the American Dream.
To put it mildly, Claudia does not learn from her mistakes, but doubles down on her ill-defined goals of wealth. Her surface-level goal is to return (illegally) to America and pay off her mother's home mortgage. But it is also clear that Claudia really does not have deep ties to her family. It was never clear why she was so antagonistic to her hard-working father and why she would not listen to the wise counsel of her kind grandmother.
Viewers may be conflicted about the true nature of Claudia's character. But there is no doubt that the filmmakers created a thought-provoking profile of a young person filled with contradictions, yet great potential that is ultimately unrealized by the end of the film.