Film Analysis: The Journey Away From Guatemala To Mexico

We open to a twelve-year-old boy, FREDO, being chased down the streets of Guatemala City by a store owner after stealing a stack of small tortillas. A fight nearby ensues between a man and a soldier and gunshots ring out. Fredo’s mother, BELA grabs him and drags him out of the crowd. At home, the two are packing their bags to leave somewhere unbeknownst to the audience but it appears they are taking everything, clothes and food. They make their way down the street and into an alleyway, to the first of many safe houses. They pay a coyote money, and get into an old truck with several other Guatemalan families. Elsewhere, JAVI is getting ready inside his hut, before driving over to a beaten down house, the Coyote Headquarters. Javi obtains a stack of cash from MIGUEL, to give to CHRIS. In the truck, Fredo asks his mother if the view in the distance is Mexico. Through the subsequent dialogue, it becomes clear to the audience that the intention is to cross the border from Guatemala to Mexico and ultimately to California. Cut to Javi in a

He wakes up to the sound of the train leaving and sprints to catch up to it. He is taunted by a few TOUGH BOYS who see him running. He manages to jump on and lay atop the train. Still on the train, a few hours later, the boys approach him from behind. A fight scene ensues, Fredo and the boys jumping from car to car. Fredo gets punched a few times, and he jabs the other boy’s eyes, giving him enough time to hide. The boys encounter each other again, this time Fredo uses a metal pipe to break the boy’s ankle before jumping off the train into a small Mexican village. He encounters a young woman named GABI, who feeds and houses him for one night despite her boyfriend MARCO’s reluctance. In the same woods, they just helped migrants pass through Javi and Chris have a quick conversation about the next batch of migrants they are helping cross