Ok, i have tried to find ANYTHING about this film for over a decade.
I was shown on TNT in the 90’s, I saw it roughly when I was 10 years old, so that would make it 97 or 98.
The premise was a boy who for reasons wants to get to his aunt/ uncle who lives across the border. All he has is an address and a name. I’m extrapolating as an adult that he must have been from mexico and was trying to get to his last remaining family in the United States.
The film was entirely in black and white. I remember that after failing to cross the border he spends the night in an abandoned car, then he makes preparations to cross the desert. He brings milk which quickly sours and at one stage he breaks apart a cactus to drink from its flesh. There was an encounter in a canyon between him and a snake. Ultimately he does get to his relative who at first is indifferent to him, then warms and takes him in.
I may not be entirely accurate with the above description, I did see it about 25 years ago, but if anyone can help I would love to know what this film was!