October is just around the corner, and a group of local student filmmakers
Directed and written by Tijuana native Enrique Unzueta, Jalogüin is Unzueta's thesis film for New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Asia. However, Jalogüin's production crew is filled with OC residents and natives such as producer Alle Hsu, who grew up in Newport Beach. Associate producers
Jalogüin takes place on Halloween as a Mexican woman named Maria legally crosses the Tijuana and California border with her son, Julio. Their goal is to win a costume contest sponsored by a San Diego radio station. Maria initially planned the day to also include a visit to see her husband, Oscar—who lives and works in San Diego to provide income for her and Julio. When Julio is bullied and the original costume him and his mother worked so hard to make is stolen, Maria is forced to quickly devise a plan to find a new costume for Julio, cross the border to win the contest, and spend Halloween together as a family—can it be done? Think of it as The Bicycle Thief, but far happier.
Over a cup of joe at Grow Coffee + Tea in Anaheim, Hsu and Mendoza share that one of the film's goals is to provide a different narrative about the U.S and Mexican border. "Just over the last few years, all the movies I remember coming out of anywhere near the border like Sicario or Traffic were all cartel related," says Hsu. "It [Tijuana] is like any other city, any city has it's good and bad
As the director and writer of the film, Unzueta—who spoke to the Weekly via phone—says he hopes Jalogüin brings to light a more thoughtful understanding of the communities living near the border.
OC Weekly: How did your upbringing in Tijuana influence the creation of Jalogüin?
Enrique Unzueta: One of our professors once said that every movie is autobiographical. Nothing in this movie happened to me but it all happened. Everything is a reflection of what you've been through.
The film's script focuses on the celebration of Halloween and candy becomes a sort of metaphor for a better life. How did you come up with those ideas?
Growing up, I always wanted to go to San Diego to trick or treat. You're always promised that there's going to be better candy at the other side and for some there is. For some, you just find out that sometimes it's just not that much better.
One of the main points you hope Jalogüin brings to light is that border culture isn't all about drug cartels, corruption, and violence. As you grew up in Tijuana, did you feel like Hollywood and the MSM's portrayal of the border were feeding into a negative stereotype?
It's not that the portrayals of the border are entirely inaccurate. The border is so many things; it's a wall, it's a frontier, it's a division, and it creates many issues. Drugs, illegal trafficking, and crossing are part of the culture that is being created around the U.S/Mexico border, it is! But, representing the border as just that is not doing justice to the population on both sides of the border. There are U.S citizens living in Mexico. There are Mexicans who are permanent residents living in the States. Yes, I was a little frustrated that people just didn't really understand what this border culture is about. And I was frustrated that anytime I told anyone that I was from Tijuana, they'd jokingly say, "Is your dad a drug lord? or "I didn't know people lived there." Yes, people live there. Tijuana officially has a population of nearly 2 million people. So, I was interested in expanding the understanding of what a border can do and what a border has created, specifically the U.S and Mexican border.
Were you motivated in any way to write this film right now given that the U.S and Mexico border is currently in the national political spotlight?
I think the whole political situation just made me want to make it even more. I don't think a film can change people's minds. But I think a film can offer a little bit of honesty and humanity to a group of people who are usually just thought of as a group. There's never faith or a story to them, it's always just a pack, or a number, or a percentage. I feel like putting a face or a story to them and under this political climate, I think it's important.
What has been your biggest obstacle so far?
The biggest obstacle has been finding funding. It's a production that's really ambitious because it's being shot on two sides of the border making it a bi-national film. It's a collaborative endeavor. It's been a lot of fun assembling a team of Mexicans, Americans, and Mexican-Americans. It represents this unity that I'm looking for. It's not only just, but also necessary to understand that when a group of people
Visit Jalogüin's IndieGoGo page for more information on the production of the film and to donate. No donation is too small. Local businesses such as Halloween costume shops or catering companies are sought to sponsor the film. Support your local filmmakers!
