It’s hard to come away from The River and The Wall without being moved by the sheer beauty of the area and the absolute lunacy of the border wall.
For as long as I can remember, the United States has had an ongoing struggle regarding illegal immigrants crossing the U.S./Mexico border. Without getting partisan, many solutions have been proposed and implemented and each has had varying degrees of success. In 2015, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump made a campaign promise that he would build a “big, beautiful wall” between the U.S. and Mexico to stop illegal immigration. When he was elected in 2016, Trump delivered on his promise and accelerated construction of the border wall.
The River and The Wall, a documentary by filmmaker Ben Masters, is a bipartisan look at the effect the construction of the wall will likely have on the environment along the Texas border with Mexico. Specifically, Masters looks at the possible impact on the wide variety of ecosystems that exist along the 1200 mile border, which is delineated by the Rio Grande. Masters and four friends — including a National Geographic host, an ornithologist, a Rio Grande river guide and a conservationist — bike, walk, ride horseback, and canoe along the river from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico. During their 60 day trip, they speak to those affected by the construction of the wall, including farmers, ranchers, and landowners. They also speak to Congressman Beto O’Rourke and Congressman Will Hurd, a Democrat and Republican respectively, and allow them to voice their opinions on the wall’s perceived effectiveness.
While some of the film focuses on what makes the wall ineffective, the majority of the documentary spends time highlighting the incredibly diverse landscapes, animal populations, and climates along the Rio Grande. It’s not hyperbole when I say that the photography in The River and The Wall is absolutely breathtaking. I had no clue that there was such a variety of terrain and wildlife in this area of the United States. Seeing this for the first time right before the construction of the wall — and the environmental disruption it will cause — is heartbreaking.
One might expect a documentary about such a politically charged topic to be heavy-handed. The River and The Wall is quite the opposite. Masters simply showcases the region to those who have never been there. Being able to see the beauty, ecological variety, and vital importance of the area along the Rio Grande eliminates any notion that the border is simply flat, empty desert that facilitates the easy construction of a wall with no consequences. Masters also points out the fact that, in some areas, rugged landscape will prevent the wall from being erected right next to the river, which will essentially concede thousands of acres of U.S.-owned property to Mexico.
It’s hard to come away from The River and The Wall without being moved by the sheer beauty of the area and the absolute lunacy of the border wall. Unfortunately, I doubt that those who really need to see this film will bother taking the time to do so.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
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