The Gatekeeper

2002 Drama

Adam Fields (John Carlos Frey, who also wrote, directed, and produced the film) is a law enforcement agent patrolling the Mexican border outside San Diego. He's harboring two dangerous secrets. His bosses don't know that he belongs to a racist, right wing vigilante group called National Patrol, that harasses and assaults illegals as they try to cross the border. His confederates in the National Patrol don't know that his own mother is Mexican. Adam, who easily passes for Caucasian, doesn't tell anyone about his mother, a former prostitute. Frustrated with the border patrol's efforts to curtail border crossings, Adam and the shock jock leader of National Patrol, Jack Green (J. Patrick McCormack), come up with a scheme to embarrass the border patrol into taking their concerns more seriously. Adam will go undercover as a Mexican and cross the border into the states to show how easy it is, while capturing everything on a hidden video camera. Adam pays to be brought over, but once in the U.S., the scheme goes horribly awry, and Adam winds up stuck with a hapless group of illegals, forced to work for ruthless criminals at a crystal meth lab. Unable to escape, he gets a firsthand look at the hardships the illegal immigrants endure. Frey tried to sell his script for The Gatekeeper to a Hollywood studio, but, unwilling to compromise his vision, eventually decided to finance the film himself. The Gatekeeper was shown at the 2002 Urbanworld Film Festival and at the 2002 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where it won the Phoenix Award. more..

Director: John Carlos Frey

Starring: John Carlos Frey, Michelle Agnew, Anne Betancourt, Joel Brooks, Kai Lennox

Reviews

  • Has a certain stiffness and awkwardness at the start, but this deeply personal work steadily grows more powerful and eloquent, creating a tragic vision of the plight of illegal aliens that transcends its melodramatic elements.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    27 April 2013

  • Isn't the most seductive film ever made about border life or undocumented immigrants, but in a way it's unfair to compare it to such artistic triumphs as ''Touch of Evil,'' ''El Norte,'' ''Lone Star,'' and ''Traffic.''

    Janice Page - The Boston Globe

    27 April 2013

  • Despite its flaws, The Gatekeeper will keep you engaged.

    Marta Barber - Miami Herald

    27 April 2013

  • Though the film is far from polished, the force of its significance to Mr. Frey, as well as the urgency of its political message, give it some genuine impact.

    Dave Kehr - The New York Times

    27 April 2013

  • John Carlos Frey's tough social drama has a slightly sensationalistic edge, but the disturbing fact is that all too much of his worthy film hews closely to the real-life experiences of undocumented immigrant workers.

    Ken Fox - TV Guide

    27 April 2013

Awards

  • Competition Feature Film Awards

    Phoenix Film Festival (2003)

  • John Carlos Frey

    Santa Barbara International Film Festival (2002)

  • Best Feature Film

    Temecula Valley International Film Festival (2002)