Directed by Turner Ross and Bill Ross IV • 2015 • Mexico, United States

In this nonfiction spin on the myths of the frontier, Americana specialists the Ross brothers create an immersive portrait of Eagle Pass, Texas, a border town that has historically enjoyed a close relationship with Piedras Negras on the Mexican side. As drug-cartel violence and fearmongering politics intrude on the community, though, the border hardens and disrupts local ways of life. Focusing on two larger-than-life characters—a veteran cattleman and Eagle Pass’s charismatic mayor—WESTERN is a vividly lived-in study of a region often distorted by the national political conversation.