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Included on 5-disc box set Personal and Political: The Films of Natalia Almada.

The proud Mexican tradition of corrido music—captured in the performances of Mexican band Los Tigres del Norte and the late Chalino Sanchez—provides both heartbeat and backbone to this rich examination of songs, drugs and dreams along the U.S./Mexico border. Al Otro Lado follows Magdiel, an aspiring corrido composer from the drug capital of Mexico, as he faces two difficult choices to better his life: to traffic drugs or to cross the border illegally into the United States.

“A lyrical and beautiful account of border culture... humane, visually exquisite and resists simple descriptions.” —Robert Koehler, Variety

“The documentary is handsomely filmed, whether in sun-drenched landscapes or crowded nightclubs. It's not a history of corridos, which have roots that reach back to medieval songs; it's a glimpse of art running parallel to daily life.” —John Pareles, The New York Times