Spare My Bones, Coyote!

Bluesky

The US Border Patrol says that about 10,000 people have died attempting to cross into the country since 1994, while rights groups near the southern border claim its tens of thousands more than that* – with many of those who perish either never being found or whose remains are never identified. You won’t find facts and figures in Jonah Malak’s Spare My Bones, Coyote which is more concerned with showing how the numbers represent a series of individual tragedies for the families of those who die or disappear as they are attempting to cross the unforgiving desert with human smuggling “coyotes”, who quickly leave behind anyone they perceive as weak.

Ely Ortiz is all too aware of the grief that lies behind the statistics, having lost his own brother and cousin to the borderlands in 2012 and spent months searching for them. Since then he and his wife Marisela, along with their family and other volunteers have been part of Las Águilas del Desierto (The Eagles of the Desert). Their mission is to save lives, where they can but also to give the families who have lost their loved ones some closure by finding the bodies of those who have perished en route. This is not the first time that there has been a film about them – Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and Maite Zubiaurre’s award-winning short film Eagles previously documented their work.

Like them, Malak largely takes an observational approach, spending time with the Ortiz family in their home or watching the Águilas as they methodically go about their searches. He does not pull his punches in terms of the grim reality of the situation, beginning with phone messages from those who are dying but his is a no-nonsense and non-sensationalist approach that is respectful of the dead. The calls are heart-rending but important to hear, since we will come to realise that these sorts of messages are an everyday reality for the Ortiz family, no matter what else they happen to be doing at the time. We see Ely calmly responding to upset family members and those who have got into difficulty as they are trying to cross as he chops vegetables and, in one poignant moment, how celebrations are affected by their commitment to others.

Although not overtly political, questions around the authorities' approach to those who cross the border hang like shadows in the air, especially when we hear calls of those who need help but can’t get through on 911. The Águilas can only give very specific help to those who run into trouble – medical assistance or water, for example – but they can only wait with migrants for the authorities or let them proceed at their own risk, another part of this volunteer work which must exact a heavy mental toll.

The verite style of Malak’s documentary sometimes leaves questions unanswered. There are shots, for example, of a forensic pathologist who is attempting to identify people from bones that have been found. While it brings home the scale of what is happening it feels somewhat cut adrift from the rest of the film, especially without any sort of introductory context about who she is or works for. A segment following the Águilas as they visit shelters in Mexico in order to educate those who are intending to cross about precautions they need to take articulates the often thankless nature of much of what they do – since many of these migrants are initially quite suspicious of their motives – but it would also benefit from tighter editing and more context.

When Malak does opt for something a little more experimental it pays off, such as an eerie midway moment when blue lights flashing off cactuses and other details from the desert. This is coupled with snippets of a phone call, the sound of howling coyotes and atmospheric scoring from Marc Bell, to give us a taste of the fear and intimidation those stranded must feel. Bell's score, in general, with its strong vocal element, feels like a lament to the lost.

A film that never makes light of the enormity of the task that the Águilas have taken on or the toll it personally takes on them while also highlighting the importance of their work.

*Human Rights Watch have some thorough information on this if you’re looking for more detail

Source