Original subtitles

[AUDIO LOGO]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Once upon a time, there was a small caterpillar.

But she was born with a big scar.

Her wish was to turn into the most amazing butterfly.

And unless she went deep into the forest

and found the flower of dreams, she

would never become what she envisioned.

The path ahead was treacherous, full of cunning and poisonous

animals.

She inched along unnoticed, despite a snake lurking

in the woods.

But her dreams were stronger than her fears,

so she continued on deeper into the forest.

Little does she know, that even the smallest decisions

can lead to the largest consequences,

such as this story.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

All right.

Looking good.

Looking good.

Leaning back.

Arch your back.

Looking good.

Beautiful.

Walking this way, looking beautiful.

Walking towards me.

Very sexy.

Beautiful.

Arch your back, please.

OK great.

Turn around.

I'm going to have you start walking

towards that door over there.

[KNOCKING]

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

(RAPPING) In the home of the gangs with cop killings, always

knew life was a bitch.

So I never got feelings.

It's game four at the staples, man, you ain't got no wins.

You in the City of Angels, but you ain't got no wings.

I'm going--

[WIND BLOWING]

Well, the house is in Watts, but they operate out of East LA.

Well, he's picking up his kid at 3:00.

But he's never bad before 4:00 or 4:30.

It's going to be smooth.

I promise.

Trust me on this.

No, I don't.

Carlos is a thing of the past.

[MEOW]

Tony, I want to be a part of your organization.

I'll do whatever it takes.

I don't care.

Tony's not like a fucking lowlife, you know what I mean?

He's a businessman.

Is he fucking with us, or what?

We're good, right?

Yeah?

Relax, homie.

We're doing the quinta.

If it's all there, you leave.

Economics, make good impact and good money,

and I can help my neighbor.

My grandfather told me it was hard for me to be an astronaut

because my family is poor.

But I know living in the United States of America,

a dream like this can come true.

Where'd you go count?

The liquor store down the street?

You want me to fuck this hole up right now?

- There's two grand short. - Two grand?

Wait, wait, wait. [MUSIC PLAYING]

Hold on.

What do you mean two grand short?

That's bullshit. [SHOUTING]

Fucker.

What the fuck!

Hey, you probably fucking took some.

That's bullshit.

It was all there.

Angel, I'm going to go show this to dad.

Shut the fuck up.

Shut the fuck up.

Let me shoot this piece of shit.

What would you guys do if you were in my position?

Don't do this, please.

You're wasting my motherfucking time.

What's up hijo.

Dad, I want you to read my paper.

Please, dad.

My kids are in the room.

So today's your lucky motherfucking day.

Get your fucking ass out of my house.

Get the fuck out of my house.

I'll get your ass next time, motherfucker.

I'll get your ass next.

Now get the fuck out of here.

[DOG BARKING]

[PHONE RINGING]

Good luck on your presentation.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

[CRASH]

Daniel!

Look at this.

Your expression here.

And my sister saw it.

She thought it's real.

What do you think about the image quality though?

Doesn't that look a little cheap to you?

Well, it does.

But if that little thing throws the audiences off,

then we're never going to be professional filmmakers,

you know.

[KNOCKING]

Your patient needs to see you.

I'll be there in a minute.

OK?

All right, Mr. Morris.

Then we'll see you on Monday.

All right.

Have a nice day.

Hey, Jenny.

Hi.

Can you give me Casey's files, please?

Sure.

Busy day today?

No, not really.

There you go.

Perfect.

Do you have a pen?

Yes.

Here you go.

Beautiful.

Thank you.

Doing anything for vacation?

My sister's coming--

Code blue!

Status?

14 year-old kid, car accident, unresponsive.

Take him to trauma room three All right.

Let's go, guys.

Go right to here.

Come.

Excuse me, sir.

Are you his father?

Yes.

Do you know if he has any kind of allergies?

Dust mites and pollen.

How about penicillin?

No.

Is there any medical conditions I should be aware of?

No.

Blood pressure 150 over 110.

Let's give him ml's of nitroglycerin.

And guys, let's prepare him for CT scan, OK?

Quickly.

What's your name, sir?

Carlos.

Carlos, we're going to get your son upstairs right now.

And we're going to do CT scan and ultrasound, which

means we're going to be looking for internal bleedings

and for damaged organs.

Slight increase in BP.

But for us to operate to maximum capacity,

I would ask you to wait in the lobby.

Take care of my son.

We'll do our best, sir.

Dr. Rivero, Dr. Rivero, please.

Oh, Atilla, you forgot your phone.

Thanks, Jenny.

Thank you.

Mm-hmm.

Excuse me, sir.

Can you come with me for a second please?

[SIGHS]

He's in that room over there.

He's going to be OK.

So luckily, there is no internal bleedings.

All of his organs are fine.

And he has some minor fractures.

But luckily, all of his fractures

are stable, which means your son will fully recover.

Dang.

Thanks, dog.

So that's a great news, absolutely.

What's your name?

- Atilla. - Atilla.

- Nice to meet you, Carlos. - Thank you.

[PHONE BUZZING]

You're welcome.

I owe you one.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Anything you need.

I'm sorry.

Oh, just a second, guys.

My sister's been calling me all day.

Hello, [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Talk on English.

- I don't want him to understand. - OK.

Atilla, dad won't let me go.

He said-- he said, there is no way he's going to let me go.

- He-- - Slow down for a second.

You have to tell me exactly what happened.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

She went farther along into the forest

and found herself at a crossroads.

There was a branch in her path.

Should she move the branch or should she not?

She decided she would move the branch.

For reasons beyond understanding and out of anyone's control,

her seemingly insignificant decision to move that branch

started a series of intersecting events.

[MEOW]

In her dying moments, she couldn't help

but wonder what her life would have been like had she not

moved that branch.

What would life have been like if they had never met?

What would life have been like if he never got hit?

Good luck on your presentation.

All right, Andrew.

I'll see you later on today.

Hey, Jay.

Hi.

Can you give me Casey's files please?

Sure.

Busy day today?

No, not really.

There you go.

Perfect.

Do you have a pen?

Yes.

Here you go.

Beautiful.

Thank you.

Doing anything for vacation?

My sister's coming.

Oh, that's nice.

Yeah. I'm pretty excited about that.

It should be fun.

[PHONE BUZZING] Hey, give me just a second, Jimmy.

My sister's calling me.

Talk on English.

I don't want him to understand.

What happened?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

He said-- he said, there's no way he's going to let me go.

Aida, calm down.

He doesn't want me to go.

He said, he already canceled my flight.

You have to tell me exactly what happened.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(SINGING) [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Chuck Taylor's hanging on the telephone line.

Ah, the city hear the noise , graffiti on the walls.

The Virgin Mary pleading, Jesus bleeding on the cross.

Sticks and stones will break your bones.

But these clips are strong, and then you split your tone.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[CRASH]

That motherfucker's got my money.

Fuck!

I got to use the restroom.

Hey!

Hey!

[STRUGGLING SOUNDS]

Aah!

Astronauts make good-- astronauts make good impact

and make good money.

And I can help my neighbor-- my neighbors-- my neighborhood.

My grandfather told me it was hard for me to be an astronaut

because my family is poor.

But I know living in the United States of America,

dreams like this can come true.

Great job, Daniel.

[APPLAUSE]

Good job.

Good job.

All right, precious, you're up next.

[SIDE CONVERSATIONS]

You a junior?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Very good presentation today.

Thank you, Mr. Ishaan.

So you want to be an astronaut?

Yeah.

I heard that you're good at math,

which makes you a step closer.

Look at that caterpillar over there.

Wow.

Isn't it special?

You want to touch it?

No, it's nasty.

You might be right.

But you know what?

This same exact caterpillar will eventually

turn into an amazing butterfly.

You know, Daniel, you could achieve great things

in this country.

It all starts with this.

And why didn't you accept the offer?

Mom and dad were so hopeful.

They thought finally you were going to have a real job.

Why do you want me to commit to something

that I don't want to do?

And what exactly do you want to do?

I told you.

I'm working on a film project with Atilla.

I just don't want you to do anything stupid

and end up like the last time.

I was expecting more support from my brother.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I need to talk to Tony, man.

I'm his homie.

I just need to--

OK, look at me.

Tony. Tony.

Tony.

Stop the car.

Stop the car.

Hey.

You promised.

You promised.

I did everything you wanted.

I did everything I was asked.

No, no!

Where's my backpack at?

Hey, guys.

Hey, Anita.

What time is it?

Where have you been?

Anita?

It's almost midnight.

Where have you been?

Atilla, come here for a second.

I'll be right back

Where have you been?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I told you I'm going to get some food quickly.

It's 30 for $100 in cash.

[LAUGHS]

How did you give this?

You see this?

This is the most popular game in America.

How did you get this?

It's a jailbreak copy from home.

It sells for like 70 bucks here.

I sell it for 20.

I already have another 250 orders for next week.

I can't believe what you're doing.

By the time I go home, I have enough

to buy a brand new car, just like yours.

What the fuck are you doing, Anita?

This is not acceptable.

What are you talking about?

What the fuck are you doing with-- this is trash.

You know how many people do illegal things here?

Yeah, but you're making money out of it.

It's a different ballgame.

No, it's not.

Finally I have something good going on.

Why do you want to ruin this for me.

Because people take things like this seriously here.

Well, you know what I think?

I think you're just trying to scare me

because you're jealous.

This is my chance to prove myself now.

I mean, you say, successful people break the rules.

They break the rules, but not the law.

And you are breaking the law.

You want to buy a new car?

Good.

But go and work for it.

My God, this is bullshit.

Bullshit.

Hey, Anita, come back here.

Anita, wait.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

See, like you, I'm the second child in my family.

And I have a strong desire to prove myself.

My parents want me to be like my brother.

They want me to follow in his footsteps.

But me, see, I've always kind of known

that there's something more out there, something different.

My parents, they think it's impossible.

My brother thinks it's impossible.

But Atilla believes.

He believes in himself.

And he also believes in me.

And that's powerful.

You know, that makes me feel closer to him

than to my own brother.

So trust me when I say this, he just

wants you to be successful.

But he wants you to earn it the right way, not

mess around with this stupid shit.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Here.

Put this jacket on.

[SHOUTING]

Aah!

[SHOUTING]

[KNOCKING]

Get out!

Now!

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Oh!

[GUNSHOT]

[APPLAUSE]

[WHISTLE]

[CROWD TALKING]

It feels good, huh?

The funny one.

[LAUGHTER]

Hello, [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH].

Who?

Who is this?

Excuse me.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

What happened, man?

Anita is in jail.

You think stealing is not serious?

I'm sorry.

So sorry means nothing now.

You already done it.

Since this was committed in the US,

she will be subject to all the US laws and regulations

that apply to a US citizen.

So that means five years in federal prison

or paying the $250,000 fine.

It's not like she did something terrible.

She didn't kill anybody.

Are they really going to take it this far?

Usually they wouldn't.

But it seems they want to make an example out of Anita's case.

You sure about this?

I'm positive.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

If you connect me with Tony, I can

get money for Attila's sister.

You are living in a dream world, my friend.

You are thinking like a 10-year-old kid, like a child.

And it's not going to happen for you like that.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(RAPPING) [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Chuck Taylor's hanging on the telephone line.

Ah.

Yo, hold up.

Call me as soon as you get this message.

That'll be like the third message I left you.

I've been calling you all day, dawg.

The fuck you at.

Get out here as soon as you get this message, dawg.

Straight up.

I ain't gonna call you again, dawg.

Get out at me asap.

(SINGING) I ask myself, will I survive or will I die?

Yo, kid.

You looking for that ball?

Yeah.

I just threw it up to your boy.

All right. Thanks.

All right, bro.

Hey yo, Dan.

Yeah.

Call your pops.

All right.

You have a spirit, kid.

And I like that.

But you know, there's no such thing

in life as something for nothing.

You know, well, your actions have

to reflect something tangible.

You know, otherwise it's just a fairy tale.

You know, I mean, I'm going to work with--

could you hold on a second?

[PHONE BUZZING]

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Hey, what's going on?

[MUFFLED MOAN]

What's up, mijo?

Yeah?

I'll be right back.

No way.

You're doing a good job.

The bigger banks, break this up and then put

this in the shoe box.

You have the other banks?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUFFLED MOANING]

What the fuck?

Ortega?

Hey, fool.

Where the fuck you at?

[MUFFLED YELLING]

Hey, Carlos!

Carlos!

Hey, fool!

Listen to this shit?

It's Ortega, fool.

Sorry about the inconvenience.

Ask him where he's at, dude.

What the fuck happening?

What the fuck?

Ortega?

So, you were saying.

Whatever it takes.

Tony, I don't care.

Whatever it takes.

Then I shall meet you my friend.

How far are you willing to go to bail your sister out?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Once again, the caterpillar faces the decision

to move or not to move the branch.

This time, she chooses to go the long way.

Seeing the branch unmoved, the kitten falls back into sleep.

Along slithers the hungry snake.

But the mother's fangs and sharp claws keep the kitten safe.

Noticing the caterpillar, from a learning of her dream,

the snake promises a shortcut if she willingly cooperates.

At first, the caterpillar worries.

Then her ambition gives way to justify the deed

and lure the kitten away.

[PURRING]

The blood on her hands bothers her not, a worthy sacrifice,

she thinks.

Off she goes to spin herself into her glorious dream.

At long last, she found what she had been looking for,

the flower of dreams.

But the path she embarked on to get there was not pure

and it led to her worst nightmare.

She became an ugly moth.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(SINGING) This song is dedicated to my homey and that gangsta

lean.

Why'd you have to go so soon?

Seems like yesterday we were hanging round the hood.

Now I'm gonna to keep your memory alive

like a homey should.

Rest in peace, G. Can't believe he's gone, G.

Some bullshit.

[SIGHS]

[SIREN]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Why is it always blood in our house?

I don't know.

But I can tell you this.

We're going to fix it.

Because my teacher said, anything I want to do,

I can do it.

But maybe he's lying.

He's not.

You see that up there, Angel?

I want to go up there.

I want to go too.

You will.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Hey.

The boss back yet?

Yeah, but he's in a meeting.

Don't bother him.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

It's feeding time.

You're very ambitious.

And I like that.

But too much ambition clouds the mind.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

When life is thrown into chaos, the brain--

it tends to focus so much on finding

a solution that it fails to consider

the potential consequences.

And Lord knows there are always consequences.

Once the rat is free and his heart is gone,

would he still remember the deal?

[SIGHS]

Look, we understand the risk.

And we will execute.

Show me.

Sado!

What?

Come on.

On three, ready?

Three, two--

Cut the bullshit, man.

One.

Don't fucking underestimate us, Tony.

We are here to do business, do you understand?

[CLAPPING]

You guys are too tight, man.

You need to relax.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Daniel, Angel, you're up for tacos?

Hell, yeah.

Come on, Angel.

Let's go.

No, I want to stay.

You shouldn't have--

OK.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

If we go through this, we'll be there in five minutes.

Uh-huh.

Otherwise, it's going to take us an extra 15 minutes.

Your call.

Let's just get this over with.

(RAPPING) Ain't got no wings.

You in the City of Angels and you ain't got no wings.

I'm going in slow.

I close my eyes and pray for my sins.

But I ain't scared of the devil, because I'm a--

Do you want to eat here, or do you want to go home?

(RAPPING) I ask myself, will I survive or will I die?

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

For here.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Location, I think we are here.

I'm going to go in.

I'll leave the gun.

I don't think we need this.

Take this.

Hey, 10 minutes and I'm coming in.

OK. Sounds good.

I'll see you soon.

Good luck.

Thanks, man.

Hello?

Hello?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[DOG BARKING]

Come on!

Atilla! Atilla!

[SHOUTING]

Open the door!

Now, motherfucker.

Mijo!

He's shot.

He's shot.

Meet me at the car.

Go! Go!

At the car. At the car!

Mijo!

Daddy.

Just lay down.

Just lay down.

Daddy.

You're going to be OK.

Lay there.

You're all right.

Daddy.

Buckle up and don't dirty my car.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[KNOCKING]

We brought this for Tony.

Come on.

[CRYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Wake up.

[DOG BARKING]

Jefe, I'm tracking them down.

Get everyone home.

Come get them.

[CRYING]

My baby.

Oh my God.

Wake up.

Dad, I'm going with you, all right?

Smell that.

Smell our blood.

Hey.

You feel like a man now.

[LAUGHS]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Gentlemen, you survived.

[CLAPPING] Come on, guys, show some appreciation.

Holy shit.

You did it.

Whoa.

Woo!

This is for you, Tony.

Aw, you shouldn't have.

Holy shit.

Shit.

[LAUGHS] You did a phenomenal job, man.

How the fuck did you pull this off?

Now it's your turn, Tony.

My turn?

Whoa, gentlemen, what's the rush?

I thought maybe we'd celebrate first.

Celebrate what, Tony?

New members of our family.

What do you mean?

Don't fuck with us.

Do you know what we had to go through?

Are you in any position to negotiate, boy?

You got an emotional one here.

Hey, I'm sorry, Tony.

Yeah.

But we honored our part.

And we delivered what you asked us for.

You did.

I know.

I understand.

I mean, I've been where you've been.

I know what it's like to be a victim of your own success.

It sucks, right?

Doesn't it?

Ah!

And it hurts, a lot!

You're going to bleed out in about 20 minutes.

There's a hospital just around the corner.

So I ask you one more time.

Can I count on you in the future?

OK.

Got it.

Hey.

Take this.

All in one shot.

Here's the address to that doctor.

He's the only one you can see.

You got it?

Oh.

I gotcha, man.

[CRASH]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Dad.

What's up motherfucker.

Huh?

You fucking remember me?

Yeah.

This the motherfucker that killed your brother.

But I know living in the United States of America, dreams

like this kind of come true.

Great job, Daniel.

[APPLAUSE]

Great job.

Ah!

Your call.

Oh!

Your call.

Let's just turn around.

Let's go.

I'm still beating you.

I'm going to get you, bro.

I'm going to get you.

No!

No.

[LAUGHS]

You killed me.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Hey.

Yeah.

10 minutes and I'm coming in.

Excuse me?

Excuse me, sir.

Fuck you want, man?

It's a delivery for Carlos.

It's good, my name is Attila.

Fuck you, man.

I will kill you.

No, you're not.

I am. Right there.

[LAUGHS]

Kids, get under the bed.

Make sure he doesn't come out.

Get under the bed.

Turn around.

Excuse me?

I said, turn around.

I'm really only here to do a delivery for--

Give a fuck why you're here, man.

Get upstairs.

Let's go, man.

Think you're a fucking classy white boy?

Get upstairs, man.

Get the fuck, upstairs.

Fuck off.

Yo, G. Got a delivery.

Let's go.

Hello, man.

Slow the fuck down.

Slow the fuck down.

[MUSIC PLAYING] All right.

Hey, we got a delivery, G.

[DOG BARKING]

Fuck down.

Delivery G.

Chill out, home.

Yo, G, we got a delivery, G. Stop

fucking looking at me, home.

I'll tell you, man, I'm gonna blow your motherfucking head

off you keep looking at me.

Stand still, motherfucker.

Before I blow your head off.

What do you got for me?

Fucking suitcase, G. I got--

What's in there?

It's worth 10 kilos of cocaine.

What the fuck you looking at me?

Stop looking at me.

This some type of game?

You're trying to be funny.

Take care of him.

[FIGHTING SOUNDS]

Fuck off, I'll blow your motherfucking head off.

Shut the fuck up home.

Atilla!

Atilla!

Atilla! Atilla!

- Atilla! - Ishaan, they wanna kill us man.

[DOG BARKING]

Get this homie.

OK.

Whatever.

I gotcha bitch.

[KNOCKING]

Fuck.

God damn motherfucking bitch.

Hold on.

Oh.

Put the fucking knife down.

Breathe, don't fucking move.

Mr. Sean?

I'm his teacher.

What do I do G?

What do I do, G?

Nobody's going to--

Shut the fuck up.

Put the fucking knife down.

You don't want to do this.

Put the gun down.

Shut the fuck up.

- No. - Put it down.

Hey, hey. Nobody's going to get hurt.

Blow your fucking head off.

Shut the fuck up.

Nobody's going to get hurt.

Sir. You don't want to do this.

Your son has a very bright future.

I'm his teacher.

Dad, please.

Here's 10 kilos of cocaine.

That's what Tony wanted, right?

Yeah.

I'm going to give this to you, and you're

going to deliver it to him.

Won't that look suspicious?

Not really.

You're doing what he asked you to do.

And what if he asks how we managed to pull this off?

You guys are wise guys.

Figure it out.

I'm giving you the tools to get your sister back.

You want your sister back, right?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

And I want Tony.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[KNOCKING]

Hey.

We brought this for Tony.

Here.

Take the case.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Aah!

[GUNSHOTS]

Yo.

It's done.

Go back to Carlos's house and wake them.

What about the money?

We got your money.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

All right.

Beautiful.

Keep walking this way.

Great.

Looking sexy.

Right over here.

Let me have you go over here by the door.

Turn around, look at me.

All right.

In the back.

d watch where you're going.

[LAUGHS] All right.

Looking good.

Beautiful, sexy.

Look at me.

Eyes right here.

Great.

One leg forward.

Looking great.

That's beautiful.

Beautiful.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The moon, the first step to the stars.

But how to get there when born with a scar?

A coincidence, or luck, or perhaps destiny.

If kept pondering, there goes opportunity

to bloom into the mighty eye, a fierce rocket

ship aiming for the stars.

If allowed, the fuel can burn low.

The journey is lengthy and far.

Call it a fairy tale or reality.

You decide.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(RAPPING) [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Well, you get your case and do some federal time.

Because the Chuck Taylor's hanging on the telephone line.

The city at a loss, graffiti on the walls.

The Virgin Mary pleading, Jesus bleeding on the cross.

Sticks and stones will break your bones,

but these clips are so long and they an split your bones.

The home of the gangs and cop killings.

Always knew life was a bitch, so I never got feelings.

It's game four at the staples, man, you ain't got no wings.

You in the City of Angels, and you ain't got no wings.

I'm going in so I close my eyes and pray for my sins.

But I ain't scared of the devil, cause I'm a LA King.

I close my eyes and pull my head up to the sky.

I ask myself will I survive or will I die.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

I close my eyes and pull my head up to the sky.

I ask myself, will I survive or will I die?

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

This pain though, still fucked up in the game.

They stay broke, stay stable, staying in the same hole.

This ain't no game.

But the snap what they'll have, you think dough is big.

No.

Breaking your back to make your bank bro.

Flame throw, two points and one had the game go.

Laid low or tried to give up.

But the stage won't hatin' on me.

When I only like to dank smoke, say throw reps.

Give the people what they came for.

Can't go now.

I just got started on this game show.

Suckers trying to test me.

I'm ready for the wait though.

Wait low, lacing the cut.

I got the game sold.

Cocaine life, with the money of a fake row.

Everything I touch make the peso spill.

Shoot this motherfucker up, Pecos Bill.

They say I'm ill, a foot away, I can't go replacing skills.

Sip and drink, drip and drain, nigga, take the wheel.

I close my eyes and pull my head up to the sky.

I ask myself will I survive or will I die?

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

I close my eyes and put my head up to the sky.

I ask myself will I survival or will I die?

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Fresh out of the joints, mine don't point like back

on the block, chasing the corn.

I grind all day, I got a paper to make.

If the streets don't pay, I'm supplying the weight.

JJ Jake's on the move.

If you snooze, you lose.

Some Top Gun, risky business.

Young Tom Cruise, the color of money

is like the tang in my sweet.

Crushed ice, white cup, Sprite cease the pain.

Too deep in the whip.

It's just me and my 40.

I'm married to the game.

So I just fuck down Shorty.

Game pimp tight.

This is all real life.

I guess.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I grew up in a war-torn country.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

We are always playing with little tanks,

like we were pretending we are armies.

And then before you know it, like you hear boom, boom, boom,

boom.

And you turn left and a whole bunch of real tanks, 50 or 60

of them are actually on the street next to you

and going into the war.

And then you hear the sirens going on.

And you see your parents are panicking.

Hey, come toward the house.

Come inside. Hurry. Hurry.

Hurry.

10 seconds later there's like a big explosion

happens like two miles from you, like boom.

You don't know what it is.

I remember, I found salvation in watching movies.

I went to my parents and I said, you know,

Dad, I want to be a filmmaker.

You know, Mom, I'm going to do this and that action movie,

and thriller, and crime, and comedies, and everything.

And they were just like looking at me

and what's wrong with this kid?

You know, don't think about filmmaking

because it's impossible.

People just don't have ambition-- no ambition

during war.

Everybody just wanted to survive.

For me to make movies, I understood

that I have to find a way to come to the United

States of America.

But how can I get to the States?

My family has no money.

We don't have any relatives living in the States.

And during the war, the people of my country

burned down the US embassy.

[ANGRY CROWD YELLING]

How to go to America?

It's impossible, you know?

One day I learned that US universities

are offering full scholarship for prospective student

athletes.

So I understood for me to become a filmmaker,

I first had to become an athlete.

The biggest race of my life.

And this is the chance for me to run a fast time to get

the attention from America.

But two weeks before my race, I completely tore my ligaments.

I remember the doctor looking at my ankle.

And I was like, in two weeks I have to run.

And he looks at me.

And he said, this guy is crazy.

You're not going to run.

He says, if you can walk within two months,

you should consider yourself lucky.

That night I go home.

I place my ankle in 90 degrees.

And I press my ankle against the wall.

And I start talking to my ankle.

You know, I'm talking to my ankle.

I want to become a friend with my ankle.

You know, my life depends on this.

I want to convince my ankle that we can do it.

Two or three days later, I go and I run for one hour.

After that I couldn't walk the whole day.

I go back home and I ice it, massage it.

14 days after my injury, I ran a race.

[CHEERING]

I came first place.

I ran a personal record.

And thanks to that race, I got the scholarship.

I came to America without speaking any English

and without knowing anybody.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

If I say that I need $10 million to make a movie,

that it's just an excuse.

I should be able to create something just relying

on my creativity and willpower.

David.

How's it going, man.

- Looking good. - Yeah.

Thanks. Thanks.

Well, you know, I was looking for opportunities,

how to utilize the resources that I have available.

And I was very lucky when I met David.

Because not only does he has everything,

but he's also a police officer.

LAPD.

Put your hands up where we can see them.

Where's your permit.

That's what I like to ask.

Right.

[LAUGHTER]

you got a permit to be out here--

[INTERPOSING VOICES] Look at this face, man.

I can't do this.

This is amazing, man.

Thanks, David.

The actors in the movie, they grew up

in very harsh circumstances.

I was like a soldier, you know, in a war.

I dreamed about it, you know?

Getting shot, people shoot out with people.

I became a gang member like at 13 years old.

I got incarcerated at 13 years old.

And it's not because I wanted to.

I think it's because I was kind of limited

of what I could really be.

All the effort, the details, the raw emotions

we put into this film.

Like we shot in East LA.

I remembered it!

Remember this?

I remember this!

Yeah! [LAUGHS]

We spent lots of times in a family

that lives in a neighborhood where your only option

to be safe is to join the gang.

They shot in their house.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

This is the Angel.

He's the big star of the film, right?

Remember?

He like did amazing work.

[DOG BARKING]

Sara.

Hi.

She's the boss of the house.

She helped tremendously.

Jacob, he's a little bit shy.

But once he warms up, he's amazing.

And Precious, beautiful.

She's in a classroom scene, and she did so well.

They invited me to film in their house.

They went above and beyond to help me to make a movie.

There's like 20 people living in one house.

They're like gunshots outside, car chase, the helicopter,

the police chase.

But inside, it's so warm, such a family atmosphere.

It really reminded me of a bond that I

had with my neighbors during the war.

I noticed how people reacted to you, you know,

and they seem genuinely pleased with your presence

and accepted you.

And I think it's because of who you are.

Awesome.

Oh my God.

Thank you guys for this opportunity.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

See you guys.

- Bye. - See ya.

Bye. It was a pleasure.

Thank you.

See you soon, OK?

It was, bro.

Like you did it.

You get what I'm saying?

Like that's a huge accomplishment, bro.

I'm an actor.

But striving to be a filmmaker, I could do nothing

but think of you as an inspiration, you know?

Because you did it, bro.

When I decided to make this movie,

I wanted to create such a visual experience that

can compete with studio level movies.

And I wanna win!