A Nos Amours: Chantal Akerman 21: De l'autre côté (From the Other Side)

One side of the line is Arizona, the other Mexico. On one side is the town of Agua Prieta, on the other Douglas. What a difference a line makes.

The project apparently came about after Akerman read a news story on American ranchers who liked to hunt clandestine immigrants with their magnum shotguns and night-vision goggles, claiming that the Mexicans were bringing dirt. It was this word “dirt” that struck Akerman, reminiscent as it is of the anti-Semitic vocabulary of the Nazis. The bloodlust is astonishing.

Beyond this, there are other lives and other people to talk to, not least in Agua Prieta. These faces, eyes and stories are given their time and Akerman gives them their due. We hear from the sheriff, immigration lawyers and relatives of those who didn't survive the northern passage.

Alternating with these voices, Akerman also offers wordless observation of barren, windswept roadsides or Mexicans kicking pebbles at the border wall. She gives the viewer time to reflect.

This screening is part of the Chantal Akerman retrospective presented by A Nos Amours.

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