NEW DIRECTORS/NEW FILMS // A REVIEW OF "WESTERN"
The Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 44th edition of New Directors/New Films is being presented in New York City from March 18 – March 29. For 44 years New Directors/New Films has been an annual rite of early spring in New York City, bringing exciting discoveries from around the world to adventurous moviegoers. All aspects of cinema, from production to exhibition, have changed dramatically over the years, but the spirit of innovation and the element of surprise that have always defined this festival remain intact. Dedicated to the discovery of new works by emerging and dynamic filmmaking talent, this year’s festival will screen 26 international feature films and 16 short films.
We here at TheArtsWire Weekly are bringing you our take on the films we're screening during the festival.
WESTERN, the new documentary by The Ross Brothers, examines a growing problem, and a sad one at that: the hardship and violence along the border of Mexico and Texas, fueled by the ongoing drug cartels. We center in on Eagle Pass, Texas. This is the kind of town that feels like life is slowly passing everyone by. It's lead by Chad Foster, a bilingual "gringo" who's won three consecutive terms as their mayor. He's an honest and good hearted man, one that cares deeply for his community. The town right across the border is Piedras Negras, overtaken by the drug wars and has kept violence at an all-time high.
Foster is caught in the middle of all the violence that is shutting down their town's trade. Men are left for dead as "messages" and "warnings." Mexican Mayor Jose Manuel Maldonado dies in a mysterious plane crash where an explosion goes off in the plane. We also focus on the common people the violence affects, like cattle rancher Martin Wall, who's business stops dead in the tracks when the USDA puts a temporary ban on livestock trade between their towns due to safety concerns. And any sequence involving him and his adorable (and hilarious) young daughter Brylyn is golden. This is a "man's man" who melts into a truly loving father anytime she approaches him.
All of these stories are powerful, needing a great vision to tell them. Unfortunately, I didn't feel that the acclaimed Ross duo did that here. The film is meandering, drags when it should jolt, and doesn't ever truly come together as a cohesive picture of the violence that breaks up life across the border. It more often feels like an "idea" of a documentary, rather than a full scope picture. Still, there are intriguing things held inside WESTERN'S world and if you're unaware of the problems going on with the drug trade on the Texas/Mexican border, you may want to check it out.
VERDICT: ON THE FENCE
DIRECTED BY Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross STARRING Chad Foster, Martin Wall, Brylyn Wall
Playing as part of The Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center's 44th New Directors/New Films Fest. For tickets: http://newdirectors.org/
FINAL THOUGHTS: A meandering look at a very serious issue happening at the Texas/Mexico border that shows a great story unfolding but lack of vision makes an unsatisfying cinema experience.
MATEO MORENO recently won a bet on who could hold their breath the longest underwater. He won the bet, having beat local loudmouth Jimmy "Thunderbird" Thomas with a record breaking "fourteen minutes." True, part of that time was him unconcious and the other part was him being revived, but he still counts it, and is now $20 richer. Take THAT Thunderbird! He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.