The Gatekeeper

If you’ve ever wanted to see what schmaltz tasted like on a tortilla, then The Gatekeeper is the film for you. John Carlos Frey writes, directs, stars in and ruins this movie about a racist immigration officer who must come to terms with his Mexican heritage. As heavy-handed as the worst novela or American soap opera, the film is more a collection of clichés than an honest look at the issues it pretends to address. Stereotypes of all sorts populate the cast, and pretty much every character could be described as getting more than he or she bargained for. While it avoids being offensive, Gatekeeper nonetheless manages to insult your intelligence without actually entertaining you, so there’s not much to reccomend unless you really want to see something with all the power and poignancy of a made-for-TV movie without staying home and watching television.