Purgatorio: A Journey Into the Heart of the Border

"At times harrowing, at times hauntingly beautiful, Purgatorio exposes the politics of and around the US-Mexico border not so much by explicitly addressing the technical intricacies of migration regimes, but by capturing experiences in the border region on a human scale. In its display of the widespread exposure to different forms of violence on both sides of the border, the film also succeeds in depicting the peculiar interplay between the presence and the absence of government authorities that structures 'la frontera'. This film should be of interest to everyone in the social sciences and the humanities who teaches in migration and border studies." Benjamin Nienass, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, California State University San Marcos

"I include the film Purgatorio in my class on Migration, Diaspora and Transnational Belonging. The film features diverse experiences and attitudes found along the US and Mexican border. Purgatorio offers a fresh view of the border. It is aesthetically beautiful and offers a stirring humanistic commentary. The film complements other academic resources on the phenomena of migration and borders. My students and I found the film valuable, and I appreciate how it inspires a thoughtful discussion of what it means to be human." Robin De Lugan, Associate Professor, Anthropology, University of California, Merced

"A searing, horrifying, at times starkly beautiful documentary ode to the netherworlds surrounding the U.S.-Mexico barrier" Andrew Barker, Variety

"This haunting, beautifully photographed documentary presents the human side of its incendiary topic" Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

"An elegiac and cinematically shot poem filled with emotional narration and iconography" Christine Davila, IndieWIRE

"Specific and sublime." Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters

"Beautifully photographed, exquisitely crafted film with poetic overtones and a wide sweeping vision." Alan Berliner, Documentary Filmmaker