We have heard of the fence between Mexico and the United States, but it’s still hard to picture fully what it’s like. El viaje de Teo, which screened at Cornerhouse on Sunday lunchtime in their Spanish language film festival, showed us the reality of this insane situation.
Teo is a young Mexican boy whose father has just got out of jail, and together they attempt to cross the US border with a group of other desperate people. Teo barely knows him, but shows a lot of solidarity towards this unknown man when things go wrong.
Eventually, finding himself on his own, Teo tries to find his father with the unlikely help of a boy not much older than himself, and they get to see firsthand the bad side of this people trafficking. Tenacity and courage get them a long way. There is a lot of unexpected and unselfish help from people on the way, and also nasty cruelty.
Life isn’t perfect, and thankfully the film doesn’t make this a sweet little story that ends happily on all counts. But it’s uplifting. And at times it’s funny, like the chilli eating episode.
This was yet another almost full screening. It’s good to see the interest there is in films from other countries.
CultureWitch 