Filmmakers Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez brought their feature film directorial debut, Upon Entry, to the South By Southwest film festival earlier this month. The duo also co-wrote the screenplay, which was inspired by various aspects of their own experiences with immigration and the stories of their loved ones. The form of immigration presented in the film may surprise some audiences, done by plane from Europe with papers in order — but the cruelty displayed by the American officers meant to welcome the travelers will, unfortunately, be familiar.

Upon Entry follows a committed couple, Diego and Elena, as they make their way to the United States from Spain. Elena is a contemporary dancer from Barcelona, while Diego is an urbanist, but neither appears able to appease the immigration officers when they are inexplicably called in for questioning. Over the course of the film, they undergo a grueling interrogation meant to...