Con Esperanza (2020)
With Hope, Anything is Possible
Genre : Family, Drama, Music, Documentary
Runtime : 14M
Director : Kyle Provencio Reingold
Synopsis
When Ruben, a young Chicano musician, is caught between his mother’s expectations and his own hopes, he is forced to make a decision that will change his life forever. Based on true events, “Con Esperanza” follows Ruben on his journey of pursuing his dreams, balancing both the traditional and financial expectations of his Mother.
Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known as the "Vatos Locos", and the story focuses on how a violent crime and the influence of narcotics alter their lives. Miklo is incarcerated and sent to San Quentin, where he makes a "home" for himself. Cruz becomes an exceptional artist, but a heroin addiction overcomes him with tragic results. Paco becomes a cop and an enemy to his "carnal", Miklo.
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Mousie and Sad Girl are childhood best friends in a contemporary Los Angeles poor Hispanic neighborhood. But when Sad Girl becomes pregnant by Mousie's boyfriend, a drug dealer named Ernesto, the two become bitter enemies. While their dispute escalates towards violence, the violence of the world around them soon also impacts their lives.
Diego is a gay but closeted Hispanic chef living in East Los Angeles who works in the restaurant operated by his grandmother. Frustrated by the secretive lifestyle he shares with his similarly closeted lover, Pablo, Diego finds himself attracted to Wesley, one of the openly gay Caucasian men he feels are gentrifying his neighborhood. Their relationship pushes Diego to consider the possibility of a life he had never imagined.
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Lefty-a hard working, light hearted man is looking to make a decent buck. But when a simple bet goes horribly wrong, Lefty is stuck between a rock and gangster who's dead set on collecting his money.
Violence erupts when two vicious street gangs go to war in the inner city. Duke, the gang leader of Tokers Town, is feeling the pressure from his Barrio to go to war with their rival gang 14th St. But while Duke was in jail he made a peace treaty with the leader of 14th St. only to discover they had broken it. Now with his homies getting shot and his mothers pleas to stop the violence he is at the breaking point.
Chicano gangster Micky Solis finds that his family has been slaughtered by the Chinese mob. His whole life force turns to finding the killers. A slick lawyer (Angus MacFadyen) leads Micky to a "nun" (Paz De La Huerta) who shows him who the killers are that took his family from him. Micky unleashes a war of bullets and emotions on the family until each one dies by the same sword they wielded. The only thought on Micky's mind is REVENGE: VENGANZA.
In Texas, construction workers face the deadliest conditions in the country. This documentary follows three immigrant families who are rising up to seek justice and equality in an industry rife with exploitation.
A young Chicano gang member in Los Angeles comes to realize that the gang life is not what he really wants but doesn't know how to get out.
Johnny Sun is a Mexican American with a white mother and Mexican dad. He witnesses his parents murder and gets his revenge years later, leading to a hard life as a gangster in drugs and smuggling. He tries to keep his borther from the life and finds himself fending for his own life.
Disputed with his father, Jay does everything he can to adapt himself to the city life as an immigrant.