Mojados: Through The Night

2004 "A Journey Into the World of Illegal Border Crossing"
Mojados: Through The Night
6.5| 1h10m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 12 March 2004 Released
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Synopsis

Filmmaker Tommy Davis tags along with four men from Mexico as they leave their families and embark upon a 120 mile journey across the Texas desert, evading the US Border Patrol and fighting off dehydration and hypothermia, ultimately coming face to face with death.

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wlm3851 I saw Mojados twice at the SXSW last year and once in director's home town 7 miles from the border. I too, like Davis have lived on the border all my life and have been aware of the many illegals for years. As a child living in Brownsville we had an illegal maid a couple of times each week while living next door to a Border Patrolman. During my college years I traveled into the interior of Mexico and witness the poverty the people experienced. At that time you could hire a man or burro for 80 cents US a day, if you wanted an oxen it $1.20US because it could do more work. Today things have improved but not much. It is no wondered that these people will risk their lives to come to the US to work for minimum wage which is more per hour that they could make back home in a day. They live on almost nothing while here and send most of their money back home, often allowing themselves to be caught around Christmas so the will be deported by home. Davis' movie introduced us the four men, a seasoned traveler and Guide, another who had made the trip before, and two firs timer, who really had no idea what they were getting in to. Davis gave us a brief glimpse of their families and one could see they like most Americans just wanted to provide a better life for their children and wives. Though I have lived on the border all my life I never realized the dangers and hardships these people go through to come to the US, and don't be mistaken I don't approved of their actions but understand their motives.Davis' style of being fly following the bunch without interaction gave the film much more of an impact. The mere fact that he ate what they ate and drank what they drank, and carried an 85 pound backpack of film and batteries, yet was able to keep up in spite of the dashes across the highways, climbing the fences, and weaving through cactus, watching for rattlesnakes and border patrol all through the tiny viewfinder of a video camera. To be out there without enough water or food for the normal three days, the trip usually takes, much less the sis days they took this time. Traveling without a compass, just using landmarks such a radio towers to find their way made this trip that would have been about 66 miles in a to more that 120 miles by foot, a long and dangerous one.The other side of the story was told by the rancher Davis interviewed in Arizona. The rancher told of broken fences, that let his cattle roam on to the highway where they may get hit and killed and cause him to be libel for the car crash. The illegals also throw away the plastic bags they carry their food in, which the cattle eat and get sick and die. The rancher also told of finding illegals dead, either from illness or from being beaten. Women may be raped, beaten and left to die.This comment turned out much longer that I intended but I felt the movie was a real eye opener. Davis' technique of staying back and just filming what happened, kept it real and unadulterated.I say 'great movie' and I have already ordered my copy.
austinoxford i saw this documentary at SXSW and walked out w/ a new-found appreciation for the struggles of illegal immigrants to cross into this country. the director did a fantastic job of portraying the difficulties of the journey through the rugged terrain of south Texas. The music and overall style of filming that Davis used brought about a guttural feeling which only added to the overall sense of urgency which the immigrants and director must have felt along their journey. He also shed a touching and sympathetic light on border agents which was previously unknown to me. Overall, I highly recommend that anybody with any interest in present-day political/social issues should watch this film at least twice.
volplog Tom Davis did an amazing job with this documentary. The story of 4 men from Mexico suffering their way across the border into the United States to find work and support their families back home was gut-wrenching and intense. I found myself intrigued and appalled at the willingness of these men (and the director) to plow through the dehumanizing process of drinking unsanitary water, sleeping in cactus brambles, and hiding from the border patrol, with the ultimate goal of being illegally exploited by American companies for cheap labor. The documentary is nothing if not politically poignant considering the times we live in. The last scene in particular, while the credits are beginning to run, is especially telling of the nature of illegal immigration and the dangers these people face today. Overall, a very inspired and powerful film.
cambros I was fortunate to see this film at the festival, I must say that this film was nothing at all from what I expected. I loved it. I honestly felt that this was an excellent and compassionate picture about true-life of the immigrants; that we don't get to see everyday. The style Davis saturates this film with is incredible. I have never imagined the hardships and endurance it takes to complete such a journey.Fore most this film takes you on an "emotional journey" as well. This film has altered my perception on what life stands for. The innocence that lies in each character is WOW. I would honestly have to say that this film ranks itself right next to "Lawrence of Arabia" This film leaves you guessing.