- Welcome to POV.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
Abortion has been and probably always will be
a contentious topic.
Tonight's film, On the Divide,
takes a very human look at the subject
through the eyes of three individuals,
all of whom have passionate views on the subject.
Their lives intersect at the Whole Woman's Health Clinic,
the last establishment that performs abortions
on the US-Mexican border in McAllen, Texas.
The film's primary cast includes Mercedes,
a former gang member,
who is now a devout Christian and staunch pro-lifer,
Denisse, a mother of four and volunteer
who provides comfort to those visiting the clinic,
and Rey, a security guard at the clinic
who is devoutly religious,
and shows compassion to women who visit the clinic,
but was turned away from his church for doing so.
On the Divide is directed by Maya Cueva and Leah Galant,
both award-winning filmmakers.
This is the second time they've shared the director's chair.
After meeting at Ithaca College,
they collaborated on a short film called The Provider
which was nominated for a student Emmy.
Their films tend to focus on women and immigration.
Given the subject matter for this film,
Cueva and Galant wanted to get away from abortion
as a black and white issue.
How did they do that?
Cueva said recently
that over the course of the four year shoot,
she and Galant saw everyone involved as people,
which helped them identify with their struggles.
They also wanted to explore just what it would mean
if Roe V. Wade was overturned.
Documentarians can develop intense connections
with their subjects
especially when a project takes years to complete.
So it was no surprise that Cueva said, eventually,
she felt like Mercedes, Denisse, and Rey were family.
On the Divide starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.