Cinema’s fascination with illegal border crossings between Mexico and the United States gets a totally fresh take in Rigoberto Pérezcano’s delicately poised film. Focused on how life is lived precariously between desperate attempts to cross over, the story follows Andrés as he travels from Oaxaca to Tijuana in order to cross the US border. Things don’t go as planned, however, and he has to stay in Tijuana, where he starts working in a grocery store and gets friendly with the two women who run it. After each failed attempt to cross, Andrés returns to the store, which is located directly next to the enormous wall that keeps him from his goal, to work and sleep.
Norteado deals with the illusion that the United States represents for those who decide to cross the border in search of a better life. As relationships deepen and individual stories emerge, the emotional cost of the ties that bind is explored with great sensitivity. The sincerity of the storyline is balanced by liberating humour and breathtakingly beautiful images that give life and dignity to Andrés and his fellow migrants.
Norteado won the Latin Angel Award (Latin American Film Festival 2010) and the KNF Award (Rotterdam International Film Festival 2010).
