“Wetback” is a fascinating look at illegal immigration from the immigrant point of view. There are interviews with border guards and the vigilantes that take over when the guards are stretched too thin, but the stories that hit the hardest are those of the people struggling to cross the border illegally to enter the US and make a better life for themselves here. Not that the American dream is all its cracked up to be — interviews with immigrants who made it show a side of illegal immigration not many consider. Illegal immigrants have to be model citizens to avoid deportation, regardless of the provocation offered by bored cops and angry locals.
Even so, thousands of people attempt to cross into the US every day. This documentary is their story, showing us the difficulties and perils as well as the rare, shining triumphs. It may not change your mind on the subject, but it may change your opinion about what should be done to solve the problem.
Shows 3/4, 7:00 pm (Camera 12) and 3/6, 1:30 pm (Camera 12)