El Gringo

As is well known gringo is the derogatory term Mexicans use to refer to NorthAmerican citizens Shot in a central province of Mexico Alÿss video portrays the confrontation between a group of dogs protecting their masters home and an intruder the cameraman invisible to the works spectators In this fiction of sorts the camera takes an active role in the unfolding of the narrative By examining the way in which its oppressive gaze can be a form of weaponry as much as a shield it draws attention to how videocameras have become an epitome of power Acting like a dog among dogs Alÿs deliberately set the camera against the animals knowing that dogs loathe direct eye contact Throughout the film the camera manages to keep the dogs at bay sometimes providing a physical armour sometimes actively entering into the game of menace and recognition