Borrego is a suspense thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Written and directed by Jesse Harris the film stars Lucy Hale (Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars) in the lead role of Elly a botanist, Nicholas Gonzalez (La Brea, The Good Doctor), and a cast is composed of newcomers and familiar faces from shows like Narcos and Vivo. When Elly is kidnapped all these characters collide for a suspenseful
Elly has relocated to the small desert town of Borrego Springs, which is located only an hour and a half from Palms Springs, there to study an invasive plant species growing in the desert. When she witnesses a plane crash, she goes to investigate and ends up being kidnapped and thrust into the reality of drug smuggling. Deputy Sheriff Jose Gomez (Gonzalez) springs into action to try and help Elly.
In an interview with TheTRENDTalk Show Gonzalez explained his character in the film. “He’s been a person who has been able to kind of hide himself from maybe the dangers of the world,” Gonzalez explained. “He seems to be someone who shrugs off duty, until this time around he can’t help but take responsibility and take care of his daughter.”
His daughter in the film, Alex played by Olivia Trujillo (Vivo, For All Mankind) is introduced to U.S. audiences, while Leynar Gomez (Narcos: Mexico) gives a stand-out performance as Tomas, the inexperienced “mule” who kidnaps Elly after his ultralight plane crashes in the desert. Jorge A. Jimenez (Queen of the South, Narcos: Mexico) is a drug smuggler who is now hunting down both the kidnapper and the kidnapped.
When asked about working with Gomez and Jimenez, Gonzalez said he had already been a”fan” of both their work. He commented that he felt the roles they played in Borrego gave them an opportunity to be able to work on more three-dimensional characters. “[With these characters] We are seeing the underneath, the choices that were made, the fear, family…we are seeing the stories behind [the characters]…,” Gonzalez said.
This film about the drug underworld of the Mexico-U.S. border brings a new facet to the drug cartel stories. Gonzalez turns in a solid performance as Sheriff Deputy Gomez working opposite Hale, with whom he had previously worked on the TV show Pretty Little Liars.
Although the film is set in the Coachella Valley in California, because of the pandemic, it was shot in Almería and Andalucía, Spain where they shot for a month right after the strict pandemic guidelines were lifted in Spain.
Borrego was released by Paramount Movies on January 14 and is available in theaters, digital and on-demand for all audiences.
Writer/Director: Jesse Harris; Producers: Nancy Cartwright, Monica Gil-Rodriguez, Jesse Harris, Greg Lauritano. Cinematographer: Octavio Arias