Dying to Get In: A Film by Brett Tolley

The U.S./Mexican border, dubbed a “gauntlet of death” by documentarian Brett Tolley, is infiltrated first-hand in this gritty examination. In his effort to further understand the relationships between developed and developing countries, the viewer is pulled deep into the Arizona desert where so many have already perished. Along the U.S./Mexican border since 1994 the number of deaths in the Southern Arizona desert has continued to increase until in the summer of 2005 it reached a record high. Many of these deaths occurred from dehydration. The larger context behind America’s undocumented population shows that trade policies and economic sanctions do not allow people to stay on their land. Two years following the signature of NAFTA in 1994 over 1 million Mexican farmers were displaced because of U.S. cheap corn. Ramon, a 50-year-old college graduate and father of two, explains his journey to the border in search of medical care for his sick son. Francisca, a 32-year-old mother, explains how her faith in God will guide her husband and 5-year-old child across the dangerous Sonoran desert. And a father, guiding his 5 children, all under age 13, explains how choosing the right coyote can be the difference between life and death. The men, women, and children tell a story of border crossing and determination that applies to virtually all of us. They tell a story of the American Dream. By relying on faith, laughter, and family, today’s migrants cope with the struggle to survive.