- Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
Tonight's film, The In Between, takes us to a town
on the border of southwest Texas and Mexico
and introduces us to a main character
whose melancholy existence in a small town
and the loss of a loved one
combine to take her on a coming of age journey
through the documentary film process.
The film's main character, Robie Flores,
is also its director.
Robie Flores grew up in the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas
never really feeling like she belonged in America or Mexico.
During her childhood, she and her three siblings,
older brother Paco and younger twin brothers,
Alejandro and Marcelo,
all dreamed of making movies together.
Robie ended up leaving Eagle Pass when she was 18
and went to college,
eventually earning a master's degree in news and journalism
from NYU, which led to stints at CNN and Bloomberg.
It was during this time,
as this aspiring filmmaker's career
was just gaining momentum, that she received news
of the passing of her younger brother, Marcelo.
The tragedy brought Robie back to Eagle Pass
to be with her family through the difficult time.
Her time back in her hometown
coincided with the 2016 election,
where border issues were all over the news.
Tumultuous news cycles, the mourning process,
the desolation of her hometown, and family coming together
convinced Robie she needed to document the experience
and help herself through the grieving process.
So Flores turned on her camera and started rolling.
After realizing she had a compelling story,
Flores convinced her younger brother Alex
to assist her on the project and be the film's producer.
Alex had never produced a film,
but left the security of his job in North Carolina
to work with his sister.
As it turns out, they not only made a movie together,
but in a recent interview,
Alex says he and his sister found themselves
while reconnecting with their native city
and processing the loss of their brother.
Previously, Robie Flores has worked as an editor
on other films and actually worked as a production assistant
right here at Independent Lens in 2013.
The In Between is her feature film directorial debut
and was impressive enough
to land the film its worldwide premiere
at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
Robie Flores credits her family and friends,
who had no inhibitions about expressing themselves honestly,
as they had a comfort level with the director.
While telling her brother's story,
Flores unexpectedly developed a strong connection
with her deceased brother Marcelo,
who was also an aspiring filmmaker.
Flores used old footage Marcelo had shot
and used her own voice for narration over the footage.
This cathartic collaboration made Flores realize
that she makes films to capture memories of her life,
while her brother made them to live in the moment.
What an incredible realization to come to
during the magic of the documentary filmmaking process
for this young director.
The In Between starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.