On the Divide starts with very American hues of colours. Pale pink reflections, peaceful light blue skies, and a blazing bright orange sunset disappearing quickly into the horizon in the background of again, a very American highway of grey tarmac, on which cars are speeding and life is moving. The very American road sign – those enormous shamrock green signs pointing to routes and interstate roads, thousands of kilometers long, roads that cross deserts, natural parks, mountains, and hills. Those dusty roads where hitchhikers try their luck, those icy roads where bison roam free and those long, interminable roads that lead you wherever you need to go, and if you have no place to go, then they'll just lead you to where you want to go, and if you don't have anywhere you want to go, then they'll just lead to your dreams.
On this side of the "pond", we can all say that we got accustomed to these signs, through the endless, mediocre, or genius US "on the road" movie blockbusters that have been mashed up, over-produced, and served to us cold since the innocent and glory days of the 1960s.
Well, On the Divide starts with a green highway sign depicting a thick and sharp white arrow directing the viewer to McAllen, Texas.
A short geography lesson – McAllen, Texas is the “last frontier”, the last city on the border with Mexico. McAllen is located within the Hidalgo County in the southernmost tip of the southern state and the Rio Grande Valley. According to the FBI’s reports, McAllen is one of the “safest” cities in Texas.
Of course, it depends on what one means with the word “safe”. There were no murders reported in 2018, so it is a safe part of the world when it comes to homicides. But is it safe when it comes to other fields of society? when it comes to well-being, freedom, and ultimately when it comes to individual choice? On the Divide
The feature-length documentary sets the mood straight right away with a still shot on a Christian crucifix hung on an otherwise, blank wall. Religion and spiritual journeys will be central to the story, to its characters, and to how the characters live their lives both in front and behind the camera that will be following them, with intermittence, for a period of seven long and eventful years.
It is morning, the sun is dawning on the Texan plains and birds are singing. Mercedes is heard singing too – a hymn, a prayer, a praise to God that goes like this:
“Big love to Jesus whatever you do,
He’s always near,
You are his child and the one
He holds dear”
Out of the three main characters in the film, Mercedes is the first that is introduced to us.
Like the other main characters – Rey and Denisse, we’ll get to meet them later in the story we’ll get to share with them, for almost two hours, joys and frustrations - Mercedes is part of the Latinx community too. The Latinx community (which comprises people of Latino and Hispanic heritage or background) makes up almost 40% of the population in Texas.
Mercedes is happy, she smiles as she's taking care of her toddler, Samson. The little boy was born because when she was pregnant (a couple of years before the story) she was convinced to not get an abortion, right in front of the abortion clinic. She says "my son was saved from abortion, together with my soul"
As the camera keeps rolling, the divisive issue of abortion rights – pro-choice or pro-life? Become the centre of focus. Women are seen marching and protesting outside a clinic – not just any clinic, Whole Women's Health Clinic – the last remaining abortion clinic in the U.S/Mexico border and one of the last few abortion clinics in the whole State after Gov. Ted Cruz decided to defund reproductive care in the Rio Grande Valley. Texas has made news again last year (September 2021) passing the "Texas Heartbeat Act". The Act prohibits women (unless as a life-saving operation) to get an abortion if there is a detectable heartbeat. A heartbeat can be detectable as early as six weeks into the pregnancy, this may occur even before a woman realises she is pregnant. This Act, together with the prohibitive (to most, especially low-income individuals and families) prices for the procedure, that can be as high as $800-$1,500 never covered by medical insurance, make it almost impossible for a woman to be free to terminate a pregnancy without any restrictions.
What adds to State-wide (bad) politics and economical restrictions is emotional blackmail, very present in the documentary.
As the film moves to the WWH Clinic, women (and men) are seen marching, protesting, and yelling in front of the building, against other women's right to choose. The yells are loud and loaded with emotional messages and guilt-provoking, making the process of terminating a pregnancy or getting consultation even harder and more stressful.
“Don’t kill your baby”
“You’re destroying life”
“Remember Jesus loves you and we’re all here praying for you”
These are just some of the messages heard.
While the group of protestors yells and holds bibles and rosary bead necklaces, Rey and Denisse appear on the screen.
Rey works as the Whole Women’s Health Clinic’s security guard, while Denisse is a clinic escort and support volunteer.
Now for a question. If the State of Texas, it's representative and a major portion of the Texan public is, in the name of our Lord, against the individual choice when it comes to taking a life and clearly state that God is the only entity that could ever take or make life, that life is a great gift from above, then why is Texas still one of the 50 US states to have Death Penalty in its system? – Texas in 2022 is still very much active on the death penalty and capital punishment. The texas.gov website clearly shows that there are 5 individuals on death row, between the time of writing and August 2022 – 3 of which are Latinx.
The documentary goes on to show the debates and struggles of women, religion, and society.
An anti-abortion clinic opened three doors down from the Women's clinic, Mercedes is fighting against her troubled past, her wrong relationships, and her addictions. Denisse is fighting against low-income hardship and an oppressive community, trying to lay out a better future for her three daughters. Rey is fighting also, fighting to be accepted as a Catholic, fighting against alienation in a hypocritical society, and fighting to keep women strong and safe. All of them, like all of us, ultimately fighting for an identity and a place in the world.
In conclusion, exploring life, death, and choice with On the Divide has been a beautiful trek. The all-women-crew film shows what lack of respect and dignity for life look like in modern-day Texas. Through religious journeys, beautiful, painting-like landscape shots, stormy skies and personal histories the film talks about a topic very real but that also feels alien to us living on this side of the ocean.
Think about it, we have NHS healthcare, social care, our GPs listen to us and we just have it “easy” (or easier).
It is somehow unthinkable to you reader, to me writer, that as you read and I write this, there is a woman somewhere that is suffering because her reproductive rights have been stripped away from her human life. It is unthinkable that in 2022 there is still an urgency to talk about topics such as basic body rights. When a State or a Nation-State, which claims that dignity is at the base of its foundation has no social care or little-to-no dignifying medical care what is it doing? When words like "freedom" and "bravery" are roared in national anthems but there is still so much control over people's choice, what are they doing? And when we know that there are people whose suffering today could be talked about and stopped tomorrow, what are we doing?
Dear reader, here’s something you can do to help women of all social extractions, of all backgrounds in Texas – follow these links below and please donate to these wonderful causes.
Between “pro-choice” and “pro-life”, choose reproductive justice, the right to happiness (Thomas Jefferson) should be at the forefront of every community, ideal, and society.
You can see On the Divide at The HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH FILM FESTIVAL – March 17/25 2022 - online https://www.hrwfilmfestivalstream.org/film/on-the-divide/
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