El Mar La Mar

Joshua Bonnetta and J. P. Sniadecki’s documentary focusing on the Sonoran Desert that encompasses northwest Mexico—as well as southern areas of California and Arizona—is presented in various voices: of residents, refugees seeking to cross into the United States, and border agents. But it takes an unconventional, impressionistic approach to the subject. Although there are occasional shots of people—such as volunteers filling plastic bottles with water to leave for those making the journey—much of the footage consists of evocative images of the region, where the landscape is sometimes littered with items discarded by travelers. These scenes are juxtaposed with excerpts of interviews—disembodied voices that are sometimes heard over a plain black background, or against a still image. One man talks of encountering a mythic monster in the dark, and a woman recalls a terrified young man knocking on her door. Refugees describe evading detection and struggling to continue the trek. Border officers remember coming upon bodies and taking frightened, dehydrated people into custody. The final segment of the film, titled "Tormenta," is devoted to a woman’s voice reciting a poem by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz about crossing the desert, a reading set against grainy black-and-white footage of a storm gradually building on the horizon. El Mar La Mar demands patience, but this poetic reverie on the troubles at the southern border has a strong cumulative effect. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)