“American Scar” showcases stark ecocide behind U.S.-Mexico border wall
Bright blue sky. Blustering wind. Beautiful Arizona desert. And an explosion,
ripping up through the land above. The sight is so absurd it could be mistaken for CGI, but none of what you’re about to see is fake; far from it.
“American Scar” is a mini documentary just over 13 minutes long. Released on April 30, 2022 and directed by Daniel Lombroso, it details just how bad Trump’s wall is for the wildlife living there. Testimony from conservationists is interspaced with drone footage from photographer John Kurc, and the film bears witness to the natural beauty marred by the 458-foot-long, 30-foot-tall wall of steel bollards.
A frame from “American Scar”. It depicts the wall, and the canyon blasted into the mountain for its path.
More than seventy different species of animals and plants are endangered by this wall. In the film, there’s footage of animals forced to turn around when they come face to face with the wall. Dead cactus sprawl across the earth, and a deer carcass is tucked up against the wall like it just needed to rest for a while; unable to go any further.
According to the ‘Washington Post’, the wall has been breached more than 3000 times by smugglers, with “inexpensive power tools widely available at retail hardware stores.” The wall isn’t preventing humans from crossing, all it does is hinder the animals who can’t get around it. As Kurc questions towards the end of the film, “Where’s all the danger?”