“Crossing Borders, a 70 minute documentary by Crossing Borders Films, follows four Moroccan and four American university students as they travel together through Morocco and, in the process of discovering The Other, discover themselves.”
Crossing Borders Education
One cultural difference that I found really interesting in the movie was how the Moroccan students communicated and argued with each other. They could strongly disagree with each other and had no fear of expressing this, but it wasn’t taken personally. In America, there is definitely reluctance around this kind of confrontation. This cultural difference seemed to cause some tension between the eight students. For example, one Moroccan student was arguing that Americans are constantly offering “help” where they’re not wanted and can’t do much good. In response, one of the American students got very defensive and visibly upset. She felt personally attacked, which was evident in her response: “don’t say we never gave you anything.” This student argued that because Moroccans watch American movies and listen to American music, they were somehow more connected and should be more respectful of America. Her reluctance to listen to the Moroccan student expressing how she feels and attempt to impose what she believes the Moroccans should actually feel made me angry. Outside of this specific instance, I thought that the documentary had a lot of heartwarming moments. Although it is a little trite to say, they did show how even across different cultures people can have so much in common. I found the ending pretty profound. When the Americans left Morocco through Ceuta, where the Moroccans could not even step foot just because of where they were born, it was the perfect sad reality check. During their time together, the students became close friends, but then they were jarringly reminded of their differences, which can’t be ignored.
