The world is determined by borders; some are literal borders that separate states, while others are imagined borders that fundamentally shape identity and govern belonging. Both, however, provide the battleground for Rafi Pitts’ ambitious, globe-hopping geopolitical thriller.

Focalised almost entirely on Nero, who must fight for the USA (and potentially die) before he is granted citizenship, Pitts’ film asks fundamental questions about the ‘us and them’ dialectic that shapes the world. While occasionally meandering, there is no denying that Soy Nero persists as an effective indictment of the hypocritical institutions, both political and personal, that mediate local and national categorisation.

Soy Nero is an impassioned and affecting thriller that points its finger at the murky issues of shifting borders, local and national isolationism, and national legitimacy. 

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Johnny Ortiz, Aml Ameen, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Michael Harney

DIRECTOR: Rafi Pitts

WRITER: Rafi Pitts

SYNOPSIS: A deported Mexican does all he can to secure American citizenship. 

Soy Nero was reviewed as part of One Room With A View’s coverage of the 66th Berlinale Film Festival, which runs 11-21 February 2016.