Eva Longoria is facing two new frontiers in “Frontera.”
The actress will not only appear in her first Spanish-language role in the upcoming drama, but in the film, which takes a dramatic look at the current issue of immigration and human trafficking, Longoria is a pregnant wife living in Mexico who is forced to deal with the dangers of crossing the border in order to help her husband in the United States.
In “Frontera,” two worlds collide on the tense Arizona-Mexico border when the wife of a former sheriff (Oscar-nominated actor Ed Harris) is murdered while riding on their ranch and Miguel (Michael Peña), a Mexican man crossing the border illegally, is wrongly accused of the crime. But as the ex sheriff begins his own investigation, he discovers a reality current law enforcement refuses to face.
Peña will also make his debut in a Spanish-language role with the upcoming drama. The actor most recently embodied Mexican-American civil rights leader Cesar Chavez in Diego Luna’s recent biopic.
Longoria is no stranger to the complexities of the immigration debate. The Texas native was raised in a ranch near the border and recently voiced her concerns over the more than 57,000 children that have arrived at the border this year, most seeking asylum from gang violence in Central America.
“Little is being done to understand who these children are, where they’re coming from, what they’re facing,” Longoria said at the National Council de la Raza’s Annual Convention earlier this month. “They had the bad luck to be born in poor, violent countries in Central America. These children are running for their lives, and they believe that the United States will protect them. And ‘will we?’ is the question, and I don’t know.”
“Frontera” is directed by Michael Berry, and co-written by Berry and Louis Moulinet. The film will be available on demand on July 31 and in theaters on September 5.
Watch the trailer above.