Sister cities Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras take pride in defying the stereotypes about the US-Mexico border. Sitting on opposite sides of the Rio Grande, their deep cultural and economic bonds manifest every year in an exuberant festival. But when the threat of brutal drug cartel violence raises its head in the south, fear, paranoia, and outside interference threaten to redefine the bonds built on friendship and small-town values. The Ross Brothers train their cameras on these events and their repercussions in the lives of two men from Eagle Pass: a hard-working cowboy and a straightdealing law man. The filmmakers’ observational approach communicates this complex story clearly yet subtly through fascinating details and rich moments. Western is soaked with a sense of place and brims with stunning landscape cinematography and cascading visual themes. (DS)