Since the 1990s, in Juárez, Mexico, there have taken place scores of murders of young Mexican women. They are chased by their murderers on their ways home from the so called ‘maquiladoras’, which are factories where they work for a little sum of money and produce TVs or computers for the USA at the assembly lines. The young women are violated and raped by their kidnappers and later their dead bodies are buried somewhere in the desert of Mexico. Nevertheless, the police and the whole government of Juárez try to camouflage these events. The number of victims, published by the police, is about 375 women, whereas the estimated number of unreported cases is about 5000.
Gregory Nava made these true events to the story of his movie Bordertown from 2006. The tortures the women of Juárez have to experience and the underlying topic of border-crossing are the essential subjects of Bordertwon. Furthermore, within his movie, he has chosen a special way of communicating these topics to the viewer: he makes use of media, respectively investigative media, in order to show how hard it is to explore this subject. So, not only he himself uses media as an organ of communication but he moreover embeds the investigation of certain matters into his movie.
Nowadays media is the most important institution of distributing and communicating information and of transmitting one’s own perspective about certain topics. This is not only done by directors like in the case of Gregory Nava but by everyone who stands in the centre of a certain field – for instance politicians or celebrities. As Wilma de Jong, Martin Shaw and Neil Stammers have formulated in their introduction of Global Activism, Global Media (2005):
“Media appear to be increasingly globalised, as national television, press, etc. are subsumed in gigantic worldwide flows of information and ideas, symbolized by the internet which offers social and political actors new opportunities for more direct communication.”
So, media – in our time better said ‘mass media’ – stands for a direct but widely spread transmission of information to the audience. People, who decide to transmit certain messages through media – in this case for instance Gregory Nava and his protagonists from Bordertown – have a special aim by acting this way: they want to make a change within the field they are working for. Whether Nava did this successfully or not will be discussed later on in this paper. [...]
Table of Contents
0. Introduction
1. Vignette on Bordertown
1.1 Gist
1.2 Excerpts and quotes from the movie
1.3 Relevance for our seminar
1.4 Study questions
1.5 Personal assessment
1.6 Bibliography tips and links
2. Review
3. Bibliography
Objectives and Research Themes
This paper examines the film "Bordertown" as a medium of investigative journalism, exploring how it portrays the systemic violence against women in Juárez, Mexico, and the complex sociopolitical implications of the NAFTA agreement and border-crossing.
- The role of mass media and investigative journalism in exposing human rights abuses.
- The intersection of migration, border-crossing, and cultural identity.
- The sociopolitical exploitation of female workers in "maquiladoras."
- The tension between factual storytelling and cinematic dramatization.
- The mechanisms of gender-based violence and systemic corruption.
Excerpt from the Book
0. INTRODUCTION
Since the 1990s, in Juárez, Mexico, there have taken place scores of murders of young Mexican women. They are chased by their murderers on their ways home from the so called ‘maquiladoras’, which are factories where they work for a little sum of money and produce TVs or computers for the USA at the assembly lines. The young women are violated and raped by their kidnappers and later their dead bodies are buried somewhere in the desert of Mexico. Nevertheless, the police and the whole government of Juárez try to camouflage these events. The number of victims, published by the police, is about 375 women, whereas the estimated number of unreported cases is about 5000.
Gregory Nava made these true events to the story of his movie Bordertown from 2006. The tortures the women of Juárez have to experience and the underlying topic of border-crossing are the essential subjects of Bordertwon. Furthermore, within his movie, he has chosen a special way of communicating these topics to the viewer: he makes use of media, respectively investigative media, in order to show how hard it is to explore this subject. So, not only he himself uses media as an organ of communication but he moreover embeds the investigation of certain matters into his movie.
Nowadays media is the most important institution of distributing and communicating information and of transmitting one’s own perspective about certain topics. This is not only done by directors like in the case of Gregory Nava but by everyone who stands in the centre of a certain field – for instance politicians or celebrities. As Wilma de Jong, Martin Shaw and Neil Stammers have formulated in their introduction of Global Activism, Global Media (2005): “Media appear to be increasingly globalised, as national television, press, etc. are subsumed in gigantic worldwide flows of information and ideas, symbolized by the internet which offers social and political actors new opportunities for more direct communication.”
Summary of Chapters
0. Introduction: Introduces the real-world context of the Juárez murders and the film's intent to use investigative media as a tool for political and social critique.
1. Vignette on Bordertown: Provides a comprehensive overview of the film, including a plot summary, a timeline of key scenes, thematic relevance to the seminar, study questions, and an evaluative personal assessment.
2. Review: Analyzes the cinematic approach, discussing the effectiveness of the film in raising awareness while critiquing potential narrative manipulations and acting choices.
3. Bibliography: Lists the academic sources and digital resources utilized for the analysis of the topic.
Keywords
Bordertown, Gregory Nava, Juárez, Mexico, Femicide, Investigative Journalism, Migration, Border-crossing, Maquiladoras, Human Rights, Media Studies, NAFTA, Political Activism, Gender-based Violence, Cultural Identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on Gregory Nava’s 2006 film "Bordertown" as a case study for how media can be utilized as an investigative tool to highlight human rights abuses and social injustices occurring at the U.S.-Mexico border.
What are the core themes addressed in the document?
The document covers themes such as gender-based violence, the exploitation of female labor in factories, the political implications of NAFTA, and the complexities of identity and border-crossing.
What is the research goal of the work?
The goal is to assess whether the film effectively uses its narrative structure to expose the reality of the murders in Juárez and the systemic corruption that enables them.
What methodology does the author use?
The author employs a film analysis approach, combining a summary of events, thematic exploration, and a critique of the film’s representation of journalism and social reality.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body breaks down the film into a narrative overview (the "vignette"), relates the plot to broader seminar topics like migration and gender, and provides a critical review of the film’s strengths and weaknesses as a medium for social change.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
The work is characterized by terms like Bordertown, Juárez, Femicide, Investigative Journalism, Migration, and Media Studies.
How does the author evaluate the "masking" of the protagonist?
The author discusses Lauren Adrien's "masking" as a way she hides her Mexican identity to assimilate into American culture, and how her eventual "re-Mexicanization" is catalyzed by her investigative work in Juárez.
Does the author believe the film is successful?
The author concludes that while the film is an effective and poignant example of investigative media that successfully sheds light on a serious political topic, it is somewhat hampered by superficial narrative choices and acting.
Why is the "maquiladora" system relevant to the paper?
The maquiladoras serve as the backdrop for the systematic exploitation of women, linking economic interests (NAFTA) directly to the vulnerability and violence suffered by the female workforce.
What role does the media play according to the text?
The media is presented as a vital, though often suppressed, organ for exposing the truth in a region where local government and police are complicit in corruption.
- Quote paper
- B.A. Hülya Akkaş (Author), 2008, Bordertown - A filmic example of investigative media, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/145456
