https://www.filmplatform.net/product/the-other-side-of-the-wall
As their mother is imprisoned under dubious charges, Ale (18) and Rocío (13) are faced with the greatest challenge possible. They promise each other to keep the family together – especially for their smaller siblings. However, as undocumented Honduran immigrants their right to live, work and study in Mexico is under threatened. Soon the prison wall that keeps their mother away gives rise to other emotional barriers preventing brother and sister understanding each other. Just as they start to lose hope the family’s life takes an unexpected twist…
In 2014 I worked for a non-profit organization which helps convicted women, overseeing their cases and helping their re-introduction to society. I met Rocío and Alejandro’s mother on one of my visits to prison, and I was immediately struck by her energy and clear-headedness in such a terrible environment. The other inmates had a great respect for her.
The moment I pointed my camera at them and conducted my first interview I felt drawn to them, and I was particularly intrigued by the way they were handling the situation. The whole thing seemed to me like an extremely difficult predicament, but here I saw two courageous individuals with a great sense of humor who were willing to keep fighting. And I deeply admired them.
I later found out more about their story. Their life had been full of ups and downs from an early age, but the family had stayed together and remained strong through all of it. That history had turned them into very unique individuals; they were a great, tight-knit family and their ties were deep and complex.
