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1 EXT. COLONIA CONFETI, TAPACHULA - DAY 1

SUPER:
TAPACHULA, MEXICO

A weathered, yet serene poster, of a green landscape (Texas?)

fills our frame. We pan around revealing EL CASPER, a gaunt-

faced 17 year-old wiping water from his face. He stares at

the image with a curious indifference, it’s hard to read what

he thinks.

Behind him a slum like neighborhood of one-story concrete

homes that resembles a favela, linked with the familiar maze

of paths, scavenged roofs and satellite dishes powered by

dangerously improvised cables.

His cell phone BEEPS.

and leaves.

He finishes washing his face and head

1A EXT. COLONIA CONFETI, STREET - DAY 1A

Casper walks briskly down the street. People give him a

respectful amount of space. We see more details of his body,

a tattoo on his neck “perdoname madre mia” and a TEAR DROP is

on his right eye, the shape of a pistol in his back pocket.

1B INT. COMBI (MINIBUS) - DAY 1B

A combi pulls up to a line of 8 waiting PASSENGERS. Casper

walks past them and sits in the front seat with the driver.

The driver hands him a wad of CASH, with out saying a word

nor Casper look at him. At the next stop lined with 5

waiting passengers, Casper gets down.

1C EXT. COLONIA CONFETI, STREET - CONTINUOUS 1C

Casper passes THREE fellow FOOT SOLDIERS of his gang. Long

rifles lean against a wall next to them as they lounge in the

hot sun watching the border of their territory. He picks up

one of their bikes and rides down the blocks.

He arrives at a corner MINI-MARKET, again silently collecting

cash from the WOMAN running it.

2 EXT. COLONIA CONFETI STREETS - DAY 2

El Casper rides a bike through the maze, weaving around

pedestrians and vendors.

2.

He pauses on his bike. A train passes in front of him.

THREE similarly tattooed men ride atop, they acknowledge

Casper with nods.

CUT TO:

2A Casper rides into another alley and stops in front of an

unremarkable concrete house. A television blasts a Game Show

inside while an ancient woman, ABUE, cools off next to the

window. She eats raisins from a bowl. El Casper takes one

and eats it with out asking, charmingly.

2A

Se.ora.

EL CASPER:

She looks at El Casper disapprovingly, then makes an

incomprehensible call into the house.

A BOY, 12, appears wearing a tattered middle-school uniform.

He sees El Casper and motions for him to come in.

2B INT. SMILEY’S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 2B

The boy hands him a backpack unceremoniously, it’s an old

routine.

El Casper checks the contents of the backpack, CD players,

Gameboys, radios, batteries, headphones, and other random

stolen goods. He nods approvingly, then notices a slim

DIGITAL CAMERA. He picks it up, inspects it, then stuffs it

in his own pocket before zipping up the bag. El Casper holds

his finger up to his mouth...

EL CASPER (CONT’D)

Shhh, our secret.

The boy nods.

EL CASPER:

Lil’ Mago wants to see you.

3 EXT. EL LIL' MAGO’S HOUSE, BACK PATIO 3

The KID stands before EL LIL' MAGO, a striking man in his

early-twenties, with a face covered in MARA SALVATRUCHA

tattoos, crowned with “devil’s horns” scrawled in detail on

his forehead. About a DOZEN other similarly clad GANG

MEMBERS, including El Casper, stand around him.

The Kid nervously pulls at his tattered school pants.

Mago smiles...

Lil’

3.

EL LIL' MAGO

One...

El Casper and TWO other men, El Smokey, a teen with crazy

eyes and EL BOMBA, a hefty Guatemalan in his late-twenties,

jump up and begin beating the boy. EL SOL, mid-twenties,

stoic, watches from behind.

The boy tries to fight back, spinning around in a fury of

punches and kicks but is no match to the three men’s

experience. He is quickly pummeled to the ground.

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