FLORIDA COAST UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1980
105...
...aircraft 206!
This is the Drug Enforcement Agency!
Prepare for landing!
I repeat, prepare for landing now!
Let's see what you're made of, baby.
Hold tight, Chacortita.
This is going to get good.
Stay close, Aurelio.
- I'm going out. - Go for it.
- They got nothing on me. - That's right.
You okay, bud?
Hold on tight!
Hold on! Hold on!
MEXICO, 10 YEARS EARLIER
Everyone sit down.
Kids, let's welcome Ximena.
She's your new classmate
and comes from Mazatlán.
Who can make room for her?
Very well.
Now let's start with our class.
This Sunday is a very important day.
It will be the first time a man walks on the moon.
Hey, girl.
Want to go watch that with me?
My name is Ximena.
And I doubt you have a TV.
What do you know?
I can get one if I want to.
When I grow up, I'll be an astronaut.
Don't be silly.
When you grow up,
you'll work in the fields like me.
Hello, family.
It's called "astronaut," kid.
And there's none in Mexico.
Here, you either work to starve to death,
or you work for me.
And even then, it gets hard sometimes.
Right, Heriberto?
You'll have one like that at home
when you choose to go to the other side.
Isn't it enough
that he works your land, Don Cleto?
I don't want my husband to end up in jail
for trying to cross the border...
with your stuff.
Your woman gives her opinion a bit too much, Heriberto.
Excuse me.
Come on in.
Don't ever disagree with me again
in front of Don Cleto.
Got it, bitch?
Goddammit.
When I grow up, you'll have everything
and no one will get their hands on you.
I promise.
Come on, let's get going.
Quick.
Come on, there it is.
Grab it.
I have to close the door.
Run, run!
In humanity's contemporary history.
A watershed between past and future.
And that girl said I didn't have a TV.
It was you, ass!
The shop's owner got crazy.
My dad is very pissed.
Stop whining. I only borrowed it.
Yeah, stop whining.
We'll take it back tomorrow.
Come on in.
Pass the soda. There isn't any left?
A little.
No wonder you're getting fat.
The instant Apollo 11's captain Neil Armstrong
walks on the moon for the first time
and shares a profound reflection.
"One small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind."
Hey, look! Look!
Stop!
No! Stop!
Aurelio, stop!
Let's see!
I got one! I got one!
- I want one too. - Give me that.
You guys are morons who can't read.
Hey, easy.
Alzaga Brothers' Annual Fair.
But you have to pay and we don't have a penny.
I'll take care of that.
You heard Don Cleto.
In this town, you can starve to death
or go work for him. Easy as that.
- That's a dangerous man, dude. - Oh, come on.
- Always the same thing. - Here, take it.
Well, let's go.
A plane could land anytime.
Brace for takeoff.
We're going to fly!
Hey, Don Cleto.
Can you give me a job?
You're still too young.
What would your dad say?
This is between you and me.
I could go to the other side, Don Cleto.
You know my dad doesn't want to.
You're too cocky for your age.
At least you have bigger balls than your dad.
But it's not enough, you're still too young.
- Your name's Aurelio? - Yes, Aurelio Casillas.
At your service.
Well, then.
Here, son.
So?
Don't you go to school?
Aurelio Casillas.
That's only enough for two.
You go in, it's your money.
No.
Let's just go.
Sorry, but it's all we have.
Well, nothing makes you happy, goddammit.
I already gave you this week's money.
I had to pay for the kid's school supplies.
It's not enough, Heriberto.
- Here, mom. - Where did you steal that from?
I don't steal. I'm not a thief!
So you're smarter than your dad?
Come here, kid.
Come here, bastard.
Are you smarter?
I saw you, asshole,
with another woman.
What did you say?
Heriberto, please.
What did you say, bastard?
Enough!
Enough, Heriberto! Please!
- Heriberto, stop! - That's your son!
Shut up, goddammit!
Chacorta, let's go.
Are you kidding, Aurelio?
I got it!
Got it!
Good!
Ximena is Don Cleto's daughter?
Come on, let's go.
Yes, let's go.
Look! There's the Bullet Man!
Ladies and gentlemen,
Just a few minutes more
for the awesome Bullet Man's show!
Stick to the plan.
What's that?
The pedal that will launch the Bullet Man.
The wick is just for show.
Truth is the cannon works with this pedal
and air pressure.
Wait, I'll show you.
Where is it?
Where are you?
What are you doing?
Quickly! Close it!
He's in. Ready!
Quickly!
Help me.
Get me out of here!
Ladies and gentlemen,
the time has come.
Now help me count
to welcome the spectacular Bullet Man!
And it goes...
Ten, nine...
Help!
..six...
...five...
Stop those kids!
...three, two...
...one...
Zero!
Aurelio!
Did I fly or what?
You flew, all right!
His arm will be just as new in two weeks.
What worries me are some bruises on his back
and a scar that don't seem to be caused by the fall.
The fall caused them, doctor.
We need to talk about the cost of the medicines.
Wait here.
I'll take you to school in a bit.
I won't be long.
I really need to work now, sir.
To afford all my meds.
You have guts, kid.
That's good.
But you have to think before you act.
But well, get better and then we'll see.
As for those meds...
Don't worry, alright?
How did I fly?
Wasn't it cool?
You reminded me of my favorite comic book.
Cool.
Letrudo taught me how to read with one of these.
You can keep it.
So you don't get bored.
Thank you for the meds and treatment, doctor.
Thank Don Cleto.
- I can walk alone! - Shut it!
Excuse me. Thank you.
- Good afternoon. - Something wrong, captain?
Did you know
your son locked the bullet man in a trunk?
They reported it.
But this dumbass was his accomplice,
so I took care of it.
There's something else though.
Your son is suspect of stealing a TV
from Don Raúl's shop.
I don't know who told you that,
- but you can go see... - They gave it back.
It was left outside the door last night.
Don Raúl isn't pressing charges.
But I don't want my son
hanging out with yours again.
Understood?
Make it clear to Aurelio.
Please.
Let's go.
At last you come see me, asshole.
My dad won't let me see you or Victor.
Wow! Where did you get this issue?
Give it back. It's a gift from Ximena.
Besides, I don't speak to traitors.
I know you told your dad about the TV.
Did not!
A neighbor saw it was two kids.
My dad thought it was you two.
I swear. I would never tell on you.
Alright.
I believe you.
Well, hurry up! We got a History test.
No way.
"There was a ma...
Mawac."
That's what we'll call you.
Mawac.
Silence!
The word is "macaw," Aurelio.
Read it again.
"There was a macaw
standing on...
a canopy."
Very well.
Sit down. Everyone read in your seats.
My dad brought it from Nogales.
He was doing a job for yours.
They're so cool.
This one moves its head.
This moves too.
You can move the head, everything.
Hi, Ximena. I read the comic book
and liked it a lot.
How did you even read it, "mawac"?
Hey, would you like to get some ice cream sometime?
And you have the money for it?
You can't even afford some decent pants, mawac.
Call me mawac again, asshole!
Calm down, kids.
Not you causing trouble again. Get up!
Come here, to the principal's office.
I don't know where you learned to act like that,
but we're not animals here.
I'll teach you.
Show your hand!
Show it!
Extend it, I'm saying!
Shouldn't you be at school?
You won't shake the dumb off like that, kid.
I quit school.
Give me work, Don Cleto.
I can take your merchandise to Nogales.
- What are you talking about? - Give me a job, sir.
You want to see the States?
Alright, then.
Let's do a test trip.
Look for Heriberto
and say he'll pay for that clinic favor
taking his kid North.
You got it, sir.
Get moving.
Talk nicely!
Sing!
Say nice things
like you do to your wives!
Aurelio.
Yes, boss?
Look.
We get this from those bundles.
It's called marijuana.
Sir, like I told you.
I want to work for you.
I don't want to be a farmhand.
I want to be like you.
You are not dumb, kid.
Very well, then.
Eladio.
Ramiro. Ramiro!
Yes, boss?
Look.
This is Aurelio.
- This is Ramiro. - Pleasure.
- This is Lola. - Hi, kid.
They'll be your parents.
And if the police asks,
you'll say you're very anxious
to visit your grandparents in Arizona.
- Yes, boss. - Let's go.
Hop on.
What happened to your hand, son?
A fight, sir.
You have to use both!
FEDERAL HIGHWAY MEXICO - US
We are fucked.
Keep going, keep going!
Keep moving!
Shit, that's inspector Jiménez.
He knows me.
I'll do the talking.
- Afternoon. - Afternoon.
Where are you headed to?
To the North, officer.
We want the kid to be born in the States.
American citizen, right?
Open up.
That fucking Ramiro!
Let's see.
Hey, there!
They found it! Let's go!
Move!
Let's go!
Can you shoot, kid?
Take the wheel.
Come on, come on!
You fucker!
Step on it!
To the right!
There was a kid too.
There was a kid too! Find him!
Find him!
He can't have gone far!
The woman is wounded.
If you don't come out, she dies!
This way.
Up there.
Nothing, captain.
It's a kid!
A kid!
So I hide there until it went dark
to come see you.
I thought you knew, sir.
That damned Jiménez.
I've fucking had it with him!
Hey, Eladio.
Send some men to look for Lola in all the hospitals.
Don't want her snitching.
An if Ramiro's locked up...
You know what to do.
Yes, sir.
Look what they did to you.
Your test was nastier than usual.
And it's risky for you to work for me right now.
At least until we're sure no one saw you.
No one saw me, sir. I swear.
Maybe so.
But things ought to be planned
for them to turn out well.
And even when you do plan,
it all gets fucked just like it did now.
Eladio!
Look.
I was going to give you this when you came back.
But here you are.
Thank you, sir!
There you go!
That's how it works, kid!
Eladio.
Take him home.
And show him how our trucks work.
Come on.
If Felipe messes with you,
call me.
Why don't I just beat him up?
What was that, Aurelio?
Hold on.
- See that truck? - Yes.
If we could get out everything inside,
you can't even imagine.
We'd be millionaires.
How do you know that?
Because it's Don Cleto's.
Hey!
Lost anything, kids?
- No. - Nothing.
What the hell?
Boss.
What's up with you? What are you doing here?
Didn't I say I couldn't help you anymore?
- Why'd you bring him, Eladio? - Sorry, boss.
But I came up with something
and thought I'd tell you.
This isn't school, Aurelio.
Besides, no one gave you homework.
Go on, get going!
You always send everything by land, right?
I was thinking,
wouldn't it be better to send it underneath?
Underneath? What do you mean?
Underground!
Like worms! Look.
Look.
Saw that?
Leave all ideas to the grown-ups.
My problem now
is getting my money from that cargo
Jiménez took from me.
We'll sort out the rest later.
Like worms...
This kid...
Here.
So you can keep that engine working.
Take him.
Make sure he isn't back until that cast is gone.
You heard him. Let's go.
You can keep it if you want.
Really?
It's cool, but...
I can't take anything home anymore.
Since the bike thing,
my parents are making a lot of questions.
Well, hide it then.
You don't show weapons,
you use them.
You kid, I'm sure you made a pact with the devil.
Running from the police on your first test!
Not everyone can do that.
How do you change gears?
Pay attention.
The clutch's on the left.
The brakes are on the right.
- And here? - You gas it.
Got it.
Then step on the clutch.
Pull down for second gear.
And pull here.
Beans are almost ready, son.
"Black beans".
That's what they call them in the States.
Here, mom. So you can add some pork too.
- Where? - Don't ask me
where I got the money from.
You know I'm working for Don Cleto.
That's why I'm worried,
that everyone here ends up working for Don Cleto.
I want you to go to school, Aurelio.
School won't make me rich, mom.
But don't worry.
I won't work all my life for him.
In a couple years,
I'll be my own boss. You'll see.
I don't want you getting into trouble.
I'd rather having no money left
than you ending up in jail or dead.
I made you a promise, mom.
And I'll stick to it.
I'm going with Victor.
Call me when the beans are ready.
Damn that fucking gringo.
- Eladio. - Yes?
How long do we need to get a new cargo up?
I'm not asking for the formula of penicillin!
Just say a week, two, a month.
This gringo wants his merch and now!
At least three weeks, boss.
Good! Let's go, boy!
You got this!
You got this! Come on!
Damn right!
Good!
Come on! Come on!
Good!
Just like that.
Who's there?