Walls

The hot topic of Trump's wall between the U.S. and Mexico lends relevance to this film about walls around the world from filmmakers Pablo Iraburu and Migueltxo Molina. Opening with a flashback to the citizen uprising that tore down the Berlin Wall (obviously the filmmakers' preferred response to walls), the documentary examines four contemporary cases of fortified border crossings and refugee barriers: U.S./Mexico, Morocco/Spain, Israel/Palestine, and Zimbabwe/South Africa. The American crossing and security cameras are challenged by an attractive young married couple near Tijuana; meanwhile a Vietnam veteran leaves water jugs for anyone trying to get through the desert. In Zimbabwe, a grassroots-theater troupe gives an al fresco performance centering on the hardships endured by those who try to reach South Africa. And in Palestine, Arab women earn a pittance carrying heavy burdens of goods to checkpoints. This lyrical, visually inventive production occasionally divides the screen up into quarters. The narrative threads do not reach a solid conclusion; instead, viewers are notified of many other walled-off borders and trouble spots around the world, with the inference that more will come, thanks to heartless politicians and border hawks. A timely film, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)