{"id":27774,"date":"2023-09-18T09:24:28","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T16:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/?post_type=blog&p=27774"},"modified":"2023-10-01T09:01:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-01T16:01:47","slug":"from-crimmigration-court-interpreter-to-lifelong-friends","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/dipsy.pbs.org\/independentlens\/blog\/from-crimmigration-court-interpreter-to-lifelong-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"From Crimmigration Court Interpreter to Lifelong Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mexican American filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes<\/strong> was and still is a court interpreter in rural California. It was in that capacity that he met then 19-year-old Mexican migrant Sans\u00f3n No\u00e9 Andrade, who was sentenced to two life sentences without parole.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reyes is no stranger to creative approaches to nonfictional\/fictional hybrid documentaries. His acclaimed <\/span>499<\/i><\/b> explored the brutal legacy of colonialism in contemporary Mexico through the eyes of a ghostly version of conquistador Hern\u00e1n Cort\u00e9z. For his documentary <\/span>Sans\u00f3n and Me<\/i><\/b><\/a>, with his main participant incarcerated and unavailable to directly film, and with no home movies to pull from, Reyes portrays Sans\u00f3n’s life with dramatic recreations. Taking it one step further, he uses members of Sans\u00f3n\u2019s own family to act in it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here Reyes talks about how they first met in the crimmigration courts, and what Reyes learned from the evolution of their relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How did you get into the court interpreter line of work?<\/b><\/p>\n

I became an interpreter as a way to survive while trying to become a film director. Although it was a job that came to me out of necessity, I soon realized I’d been preparing to be an interpreter my entire life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Growing up between Mexico and the USA, my parents never let go of their high expectations around language. We had to be truly bilingual and bicultural. We always had a library at home, and in college I spent time in San Diego, Madrid, and Mexico City. Thanks to [my parents’] push, and without being aware of it, I slowly gathered the experience and knowledge I needed to be an interpreter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Filmmaker

Filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes<\/p><\/div>\n

As an interpreter in courtrooms, what did you learn about crimmigration law?<\/b><\/p>\n

We are a tool for the courts to help facilitate communication. But we are also witnesses. We see the system from an incredible perspective, close-up to two cultures that are often clashing silently within the rigid legal process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of my clients have been immigrants, of course\u2014but not just defendants. In over a decade of work, I\u2019ve assisted witnesses, experts, and victims, too. The one constant is the lack of mutual understanding, and the sense that many of my clients go unseen. Their universe, their background and experiences, are often minimized and ignored. Sans\u00f3n\u2019s case is an example of the terrible consequences of this blindness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“That\u2019s the irony of the job: you are so close, yet there is always a line you cannot cross. But I am grateful I did cross the line, and met Sans\u00f3n early on in my life as an interpreter.”<\/pullquote><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why did you connect so closely to Sans\u00f3n in particular?<\/b><\/p>\n

I was the other Mexican in the room, the closest person to Sans\u00f3n there. In spite of our differences of opportunity in life, we shared a universe and I could see him more clearly. I could tell he was respectful and hard-working, I could see his struggles to adapt to the U.S. and make the most of his life here. I could even hear the country boy in him, when he spoke.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, crucially, I could bring none of this knowledge and curiosity into my work as his interpreter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the irony of the job: you are so close, yet there is always a line you cannot cross. But I am grateful I did cross the line, and met Sans\u00f3n early on in my life as an interpreter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, after so many other experiences, I am not sure if I would be so open, passionate, and driven to start a journey like the one that underpins this film.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the entire three weeks of his trial, we had almost no personal interaction. Just hello and goodbye. By the end, I was wondering who this kid really was, what was his story?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"young

Young Sanson (cousin Tonito) behind the scenes<\/p><\/div>\n

Do you feel the finished film accurately captures a portrait of your friendship with Sans\u00f3n?<\/b><\/p>\n

Both Sans\u00f3n and I have mixed feelings about the film in this light. Our friendship has been building over 10 years, and impossible to summarize into a single film. We have gone through so much and shared a lot of ourselves. For example, I write travel diaries for him when I go to festivals or when I am working on other projects, and he loves those\u2014but they are not in the film at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But the two of us understand that the act of storytelling is all about crafting a portrait with an essence that rings true.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The film reflects how we built our connection, through joyful moments and tough times. A real friendship needs hardship, especially under the circumstances Sans\u00f3n finds himself in. We needed to talk about some very serious issues, full of pain and trauma.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That process is messy and challenging, but also full of joy and celebration, and a deepening connection. That\u2019s what our friendship is all about.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Related<\/div>
A Path to Forgiveness Complicated by Race and Justice<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

Since you were denied permission to talk to Sans\u00f3n directly on camera for this, how did you decide on such a unique approach that would still work for a film?<\/b><\/p>\n

It was a painful, long process to find the shape and language for this story, but I feel this film had all the right obstacles. I am grateful for all the barriers that were dropped on us, because that pushed us to try harder and find a creative path.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trusting our imagination was our best ally in this process. Sans\u00f3n opened up and began writing his life, page by page, while he was in solitary confinement. The process helped him to break out of that box, at least in spirit, and he inspired me to break the rules of documentary, and find a way to reflect the power of his writing on screen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n