El Puente/The Bridge

When the Rio Grande mysteriously runs red, 13 women are among the crowd drawn to a south Texas bridge connecting the U. S. and Mexico in this fictional collage blending Latin and North American motifs. Cristina goes to the river to investigate the event, suspecting a conspiracy--she has been partial to conspiracy theories since watching a television documentary on the Kennedy assassination. Trailing toward the bridge as well are Pura, an old woman carrying honey from Mexico City; Lola and Lorena, young women bickering over bright red lipstick from Walgreen's; Cindy, a waitress who claims to experience a miracle after a humiliating visit to the dentist; Lourdes, a divorc e who finds a body by the river; and Soledad, who delivers a baby girl in the midst of the commotion. Their portraits are framed by the sad tale of Tomasita, a humble housewife first seen at the river scrubbing her bean pot with a Brillo pad, then seeking refuge at the convent where she works and finally meeting her destiny on the bridge. The mulberry tint of the river, the brown of Tomasita's bean pot and the gold of the honey color the narrative in southwestern hues, while Tex-Mex flavors accent these stories of ordinary people leading precarious lives on the border. Romo's portraits are sometimes