Hermanos: A Story of Migration, Family and Survival Beyond the Era of Trump

After the murder of their father, brothers Santino and Tomás are fleeing Mexico alongside their mother. As they seek refuge in the US, they encounter a set of draconian and unmoving border restrictions which result in the separation of their family, and their detention in a room of cold, dehumanising cages. But when an unlikely opportunity to escape presents itself, the brothers risk everything to protect each other and stay alive as they cross Texas on foot.  

That’s the set up of ‘Hermanos’, a beautifully-shot film from director Rachel McDonald which portrays the reality of US border policies through an unflinchingly human lens. The timing of its release - on the cusp of an election in which immigration is perhaps the most charged and divisive issue of all - also lends Hermanos a sense of urgency and importance. It’s a reminder that, far beyond the thoughtless comments spoken from political podiums, churned out for applause lines, there are real policies impacting real human beings at the southern border. 

To go behind the scenes of Hermanos, LBB’s Adam Bennett caught up with Rachel McDonald… 

Above: A gallery of stills from Hermanos. You can watch the film in full for yourself here. 

LBB> Rachel, what motivated you to tell this story?

Rachel> Hermanos was born from an emotional urgency that hit me in 2019, when the full force of the family separation policy at the border was on display. There were images and news stories that were just impossible to look away from: families torn apart, children caged, and the lasting trauma being inflicted on these vulnerable refugees. One image really stuck with me of a father and daughter drowned while trying to cross the Rio Grande. The whole idea of a family risking it all to protect one another and being met by such a tragedy really broke my heart, and fueled the telling of this story. 

I wanted to focus on the love between siblings, the familial bond, and how far we’re willing to go to protect those we love. Timing it to come out now before the election in 2024 makes it all the more relevant. However, at its core, the story was always intended to address the human cost of immigration policies.

LBB> A lot of scenes in the film are very visceral, including the opening scene with people waking up in cages. Can you tell us how you made these sets and environments as true-to-life as possible, for maximum impact?

Rachel> I felt the visceral quality of the film was very  important. I wanted people to feel viscerally, not just intellectually, the weight of what these families are going through. My team and I did a lot of research, pulling from archival footage and reports from detention centres. 

We tried to take everything into consideration from the layout of cages to the lighting reflecting the cold, dehumanising conditions many of these children and families are put through. The production designer and I created this environment that's suffocating and stark but never lost the human touch. That's to say, I think the most challenging aspect of this was to find that balance between exposing this inhumanity and not turning away from it, all while keeping the emotional core with the children and these families.

LBB> The timing of the film coincides with an election which may result in Donald Trump re-taking office. If Trump weren’t running again, do you still think you’d have made this film?

Rachel> Of course, the story of Hermanos transcends any one administration. While Trump's policies and his outspoken disregard for the humanity around immigration brought into the public consciousness the issue of family separation, the reality is these are systemic problems. US immigration policies have long been broken and in need of a redirection. The trauma inflicted on families, especially children, has been a continuous issue. So even if Trump weren't running, the urgency to tell this story would still exist. 

It is not about one political figure. It’s about the need for compassion and humanity in the manner with which we treat people at their most tender and vulnerable moments in their lives.

LBB> Hermanos is a very human story - the dynamic between the brothers and their father is arguably the film’s most important theme. Why did you want to tell this story in this way, rather than - for example - the pursuit of the brothers by law enforcement?

Rachel> I want to think of Hermanos as a film based on family bonding, especially between Santino and Tomás, the two brothers, and their father. I was also really interested in touching on the responsibility a sibling takes on for a younger sibling when a parent is no longer present. I wanted to focus on their emotional journey because, at the heart of it all, this is a story about love, sacrifice, and survival and I wanted this film to be about the children’s emotional struggle to stay together in the face of impossible odds.

However,  there is another layer to this story that was important to me and that was the story of two fathers — Santino and Thomas’ father and the border patrol officer. I wanted to touch on the humanity that exists, even in the face of inhumane policies. We do not really know if the border patrol officer crying at the end actually let the children escape or if he was involved in recapturing them. There is something really powerful and interesting about human nature facing up to unjust policies.

LBB> The music in the film does a great job of underscoring the emotion throughout. Can you tell us more about how you worked with David Fleming and David Naroth to achieve this?

Rachel> David Fleming and David Naroth did such a fantastic job with the score, capturing in it the emotional depth of the story. From the beginning, we talked about how the music needed to be more than just a backdrop; it needed to be another layer of the emotional narrative. David Fleming and I have worked together for years and he always knows how to capture the emotion I’m after in a sonic way.  

We wanted the score to reflect the beauty in the brothers' journey as much as the tragedy. David Fleming has this art of intertwining tension with tenderness, and then David Naroth came in with these haunting, atmospheric elements that really ramped up the feelings of isolation and fear. Our collaboration was very much centred around finding those moments where the music could lift the emotional experience without overpowering the story. It was all about finding that right balance.

LBB> Why do you think immigration - particularly around the southern border - is such a charged and divisive political issue in the US?

Rachel> Immigration, but especially at the southern border, touches on issues of identity, belonging, and fear. It is a topic that has been politicised for decades. Human rights and the right to self-determination are in direct conflict with unnatural, inflexible border policies and the concept of nation states. There is so much fear-mongering and misinformation about this subject that leads to division, misunderstanding, and the need to tune out. 

I feel so charged about this topic because it speaks to deeper issues of race and economics and who is "worthy" of the U.S. Citizenship. Then you add to that literal policies ripping families apart, and you have an emotional and moral war zone. The bottom line is this: at the core of this debate are people, human beings who are fleeing violence to seek shelter and fulfil dreams of a better tomorrow.  

LBB> And finally, what hope do you have that the country might move on from this after the election? 

Rachel> Whatever the result of the election on November 5th, I  pray we move toward a humane and considerate policy on immigration that considers the lives of human beings at the heart of this crisis. I hope Hermanos helps remind people of the human faces behind the headlines and the policies. We've seen the damage that's been done. I believe that by listening to these stories and seeing the actual impact on families, we can start working our way toward solutions that keep families together and treat everyone with dignity. It won't happen overnight, but by sharing stories like these we can change perspectives, understandings, and, in time, policies.