
Mexican Me.
- Gangster, retired -
Documentary | pre-production
Manny is homeless. A nobody living in the streets of Tijuana, Mexico. But there were times when Manny was somebody. How many grams I had on me? ...2 kg. That's a lot of heroin! ... do I regret it? Oh yes, I do. It's better to live a normal life just like everyone else. Even if you cannot afford all that luxury and stuff."
Before Manny was deported from the United States, people had respect for him. He was a senior member of a major criminal organization. 2016 we meet him, he had just been deported. He is street smart and physically fit. But anyhow he seems lost. Within a short time, his teeth were knocked out by police officers. As a deportee, he is at the mercy of corrupt officials. He is broke and his few belongings were stolen.
He could work for one of the criminal organizations. That would be most obvious idea. He never snitched. His jail tattoos would testify his loyalty. But Manny has to decide. How does he want to live?
Two years later. Manny has gone missing for some time already. Neither friends nor family, nobody knows where he is. We fear he could be dead, as people sometimes just vanish in Tijuana. Lots of drugs, not much hope. Noone really cares. We search the notorious Zona Norte. Right at the border, the wall always in sight. Full of drugs and junkies, controlled by cartels and corrupt cops.
supported by Filmbüro Bremen with funds from nordmedia – Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen mbH



We met Manny in 2016 right after the Trump election. He just got deported from the USA.

The notorious Zona Norte district is right at the border. Only a highway and a wall separate the people in Zona Norte from the USA. Many deportees here live on the street. And English is heard almost as often as Spanish. "Maybe we stay here because it feels a bit like home, like America," Manny told us.

Manny's main problem is heroin. But there is also a huge possibility that he'll dies from a sugar overdose. His words.

We met Manny in 2016 right after the Trump election. He just got deported from the USA.