A film with the nerve to take a stance on an issue is certainly difficult to find these days. Often Hollywood films will choose to address one of the day's hot topics by putting it in the background of a traditional plot, such as a love story or mystery, instead of placing the issue in the forefront. \The Gatekeeper,"" director John Carlos Frey's feature film debut, is a truly independent labor of love that unapologetically puts emphasis on the issue at hand instead of shoehorning it into a supporting role.
Frey will be in Madison tonight for a screening of ""The Gatekeeper"" at Memorial Union's Wisconsin Union Theater. He will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterward.
""The Gatekeeper"" is the story of Adam Fields (Frey), a U.S. border patrol agent in San Diego furiously devoted to stopping undocumented Mexican immigrants from entering the United States. His strong beliefs and involvement in a militant right-wing organization prompt him to go undercover as a Mexican immigrant-presumably to expose migrants' criminal practices. The plan ends up going horribly awry, with Fields being forced to work for a vicious crystal meth ring in central California. Forced to live with and work among the people he hated, Fields discovers their true nature and learns to embrace his own Mexican-American heritage while hatching a plan for escape.
This past week, The Daily Cardinal had the opportunity to speak with Frey about the struggle to get ""The Gatekeeper"" made and the controversy over immigration and border control.
Frey was born in Mexico but grew up in San Diego, Calif., with the U.S.-Mexico border practically in his backyard. He witnessed the civil unrest in this area of the country firsthand, with patrol vehicles and helicopters scanning for illegal immigrants on a nightly basis.
While working on the script, Frey researched the topic ""like crazy"" and used ""any and everything [he] could get [his] hands on""-taking rides with the border patrol and observing their procedures, speaking with more than 600 immigrants without official papers and scouring the Internet. He even put himself on the mailing lists of various anti-immigration websites to glean material for the film (he based the fictional right-wing organization in the film on one of them).
Frey completed the screenplay and moved on to the development stage. Securing financing proved to be the principle obstacle, and Frey ended up having to take out a second mortgage on his home to get the project filmed. He gathered all his best friends and colleagues from the industry, ""from cinematographers to make-up people,"" and started hunting for suitable locations. The project hit a ""bit of a snag"" when it came to this step, which was especially difficult because it was to be filmed in a sensitive area of the country. Though it involved ""a lot of begging and pleading"" and ""wooing immigration officials,"" the project moved further along.
""The Gatekeeper"" is a highly personal film for Frey. With the prevalence of negative stereotyping of Mexicans as ""marauders or criminals coming to take over America,"" Frey said, ""I hoped the film would shed light on the other side of the story. I wanted to show America and these conditions, or at least how I saw them,"" Frey said.
""The Gatekeeper"" was filmed for just under $200,000-a figure which is lower than the catering budget alone for most movies. Frey, who had originally intended to only write the film, ended up also producing, directing and starring in the lead role. In fact, he stepped in as director only after the original director stepped out two weeks before shooting.
""It meant there were three less people to pay,"" Frey said.
The film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2003, where it was very well-received.
""It seemed to be getting a lot of buzz,"" Frey said, as Santa Barbara is a city relying in part on ""undocumented labor keeping it afloat.""
""The Gatekeeper"" won its first of 10 awards to date at the festival-the Phoenix Prize, which is awarded to the film that best portrays a human rights issue. Frey said this was surprising, adding it was a ""pretty incredible"" moment. ""The Gatekeeper"" was then screened at various other festivals, including the San Diego and Phoenix Film Festivals, and continued winning awards, ""all of which were unexpected.""
However, the film was rejected by the major North American film festivals, Toronto and Sundance. Frey said ""The Gatekeeper"" qualified for 12 slots vied for by over 8,000 other films. He indicated these festivals have become less independent-oriented recently and are ""more of a market to sell a film"" with big names. ""You always see people like Tom Cruise or Jennifer Aniston there now,"" Frey said.
Frey compared small, independent filmmaking to a double-edged sword.
""What was on the script was what we had to shoot,"" Frey said. ""Our creativity was limited by budget.""
Since the film came out, Frey has been invited to speak at various college campuses and has spoken with congressional officials, consulate officials, presidential candidates and educators. His favorite moment promoting the film came at a Q & A session following a screening when someone doubted the authenticity of the brutal conditions portrayed in the film. In response, a woman from the audience stood up trembling. She told the few hundred people in attendance she was an undocumented immigrant and the portrayed conditions were, in fact, accurate. She also revealed she had been raped three times her first day in the United States.
""The audience was stunned and so was I,"" Frey said. ""How could I let this woman's long-term silence and suffering go unnoticed?""
""In light of recent events in our country, it may seem a small issue to consider the plight of immigrants. But as our planet grows smaller, we cannot discount any human being. It is my greatest wish that freedom will become a human right, not a territorial one,"" Frey said.
'The Gatekeeper'
What:
Post-screening discussion
Where:
Memorial Union
When:
Tonight, 7 p.m.
How much:
Free
