The River and the Wall

The cinematography is as beautiful as the land and the river. It's an engrossing look at the place and the habitat, going far beyond what words can convey.

This picture of the place, the river, the land, the plants, the animals, the weather -- that's the great strength of the film. The river and the adjacent lands and people are the stars of this film. Embedding these in a journey provides a strong framework.

About half the film is spent on political preaching and talking heads, overlapping. I'm totally in agreement with the sermon, but no one else's mind is likely to be changed. I'd have kept the focus on nature, which I think brings more understanding to the table. Perhaps I knew too much already -- friends who are normally sensitive to preaching weren't as bothered.

Go to see it and enjoy it, but go prepared to tune out the political preaching unless you are one of the rare undecided birds or need to study the issues further.

The River and the Wall was warmly and enthusiastically received at its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. This is a amazing and unique film. The filmmakers capture the journey as a group travels down the entire 1200 mile length of the Rio Grande portion of the US (Texas) - Mexico border from El Paso to Brownsville. They spend two months on bicycles, horses and canoes traveling the entire river boundary. The filming is exquisitely beautiful. This powerful documentary seeks to redefine how we see the border as less of international boundary where Trump plans to build a wall and more of complex ecosystem and thus sheds a new light on how our political debate is framed. The River and Wall is beautifully filmed and presents an eye-opening examination of the border. It deconstructs our idea of the border itself. In doing so it argues that a border wall is not only a humanitarian disaster, but an ecological one as well. It is an important perspective that has been mostly absent from our debate about the moronic idea of building a border wall. The film also includes the personal perspective of the team that makes the journey and some of the local residents. The film is supplemented by interviews with former Congressman Beto O-Rourke (D-TX) and current Congressman Will Hurd (R-TX) who share a bipartisan opposition to building a border wall. This is an emotional and provocative film which needs to be widely viewed as antidote to the absurd arguments about building a border wall.

It could have been so much more. Instead it slid into one-sided propaganda about illegal immigration and the Trump administration, and that's going to be a political commercial and not going to change minds and opinions about how best to protect the border.

This documentary introduces viewers to the complexities of building a physical wall along the Rio Grande River - the actual border between Mexico and Texas. It provides a realistic, yet objective study of the current and proposed walls. It explores how a concrete and steel barrier could destroy dramatic landforms and precious habitat for wildlife, while also creating untenable conditions for the farmers and ranchers who live along this river.

This stunning work captures the beauty of the Rio Grande River as it winds through vast canyons and lush semi-tropical vegetation. By also presenting the views of the Americans who actually live and work along the river, it provides a tremendous service to educate the public about the true impact such a structure would have on this vital magnificent river.

Part of me has been on the fence about the giant immigration problems dominating the news over the last few months. But seeing this movie has literally opened my eyes. The vistas and panoramic shots left me gasping in my theater seat and by the way DO NOT watch this on a phone or computer. Go to a theater and see it large. Everybody has an agenda, and most of the people in front of TV cameras these days are shouting and gesticulating about theirs. Here is a lower key, rational, thoughtful and emotionally careful presentation that does not try to be authoritative or have the last word. It asks you to think and reflect and accept.