Film Review: The Guardian of Memory (El Guardián de la Memoria)

There’s been a lot of political jawboning about immigration from south of the U.S. border, especially since Donald Trump announced his aversion to it and started building his infamous border wall.

Lost in all the talk are the tragic stories of Mexicans forced by circumstance to flee their homes and apply for asylum in the U.S. Also largely untold is the story of how governments on both sides exacerbate the problem.

Filmmaker Marcela Arteaga’s “The Guardian of Memory” (El Guardián de la Memoria) takes us to Chihuahua, Mexico’s richest state (for its beef and mining, notably silver), where we meet asylum attorney Carlos Spector, who tries against nearly insurmountable odds to obtain legal asylum for these immigrants.

“In Mexico,” says Spector, “they violate human rights by ignoring the law. In the U.S., they enforce the law as a tool of repression.” (He reports that 99% of the cases are rejected.)

But this isn’t just a “these are the facts, ma’am” documentary. Arteaga introduces us to several victims of circumstance who were just living their lives (Chihuahua borders both of Texas and Arizona) until the illegal drug trade moved in, bringing terror, inexplicable violence and death to residents. 

When the Mexican government sent the army in to battle the cartels in 2008, they left uninvolved citizens in the middle of a bloodbath they didn’t ask for. Appealing to the police availed nothing, so many were forced to seek asylum before it was too late. The fear is summed up this way: “The one who stays is next.”

Those who do manage to make it to apply for asylum face more unpleasant circumstances. They are placed in unpleasant detention until a judge hears the case, and even when they do get a judgment it is more than likely to be refusal.

One mother tells of her two sons, who one day disappeared. She went to the police, who did nothing. Then she went to the press, and got death threats from the cartel. Another woman sees the horror of her grandson being killed while watering his grandfather’s grave.

The situation has continued to worsen, and in 2017, the Institute of Strategic Studies named Mexico one of the deadliest conflict zones in the world, second only to Syria.

This 93-minute film is grim and gripping, but not graphic. Violence is described, not shown, and the message is well presented, unmistakable and important to see. 

“The Guardian of Memory” opens October 23 at San Diego’s Digital Gym.