Directed by Matthew Ogens
USA | 2018 | Documentary | 83 min | Spanish/English w/English subtitles
Film Source: Cinetic Media
Awards / premier festivals: Tribeca
Sponsors: Frank and Ducky Donath
The complexities of U.S.-Mexico border relations are distilled into the daily routines of high school students in director Matthew Ogens’ richly humanistic documentary. Home + Away profiles three Mexican-American student athletes at Bowie High School in El Paso, Texas, who cross the border from Ciudad Juárez each day to attend classes. Erik, a star soccer player, is struggling to keep his grades up; Shyanne, a talented wrestler, is considering joining the Army after graduation to support her family; and Francisco, a pitcher with an electric fastball, regrets that his father isn’t allowed to cross the border to watch his games. With straightforward observation, Home + Away examines the balancing act of coexisting between cities that are separated by a physical border, but are linked socially and economically. ~LB