Original subtitles

I always dreamed about being a mom.

I got married when I was 17 and full of hope.

I was pregnant which was partially why we decided to get married.

But I've always loved Arturo.

I've always liked children.

I've always been drawn to them.

And all the kids in my family,

they…

They, mm, have always been very attached to me though.

My family is pretty big.

My family has… well they, all have children, you know?

All my cousins have children.

So I…

So I like the idea of just me being a mom. Yeah, so, um…

It was like, like fulfilling my dream of having a family.

Since I got pregnant and we got married, that was always our plan.

I always, always saw myself as a mom.

Cut. Great. I love it.

Can we try a version that's more fluid?

The text you're going to read is from an interview we have to emulate,

and the character you would have to play

-is Ale, from 15 years ago. -Mm.

-Like a flashback that the actress has… -Yeah.

About the real Ale, okay?

-Casting, 1F, take one. -Mark.

I wanted it so bad, you know?

And… I found myself in all these complicated situations.

So I began to make

some choices

which caused things to start getting even more complicated.

Until there was nowhere to go.

I was in over my head.

A CHILD OF MY OWN

Very good.

That's it.

One more.

Great. Uh, can we get closer, please.

Great, perfect. Uh, look at the camera.

Perfect. Smile.

Let's see that joy for Ale and Arturo.

ALEJANDRA AND ARTURO

OUR WEDDING

♪ I've hungered for your touch ♪

♪ A long, lonely time ♪

Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!

When I got married, I think the biggest pressure I felt

was to make his family happy.

I was always really accepted by my own family,

so being a part of his family

and not feeling accepted by his mother

made me feel like I had to earn my place to feel accepted.

Forever together, always and forever!

I lost my baby living with my in-laws.

I didn't want to see anyone.

But they came up to my room, and one of Arturo’s aunts asked me…

-Why are you crying? Don't cry. -"Why are you crying?"

-"We've all been there before." -Yes, it's terrible.

His mom said, "It's because you're not careful."

Grandma!

How are you feeling, Ale?

I had to lie there, listening to everything they were saying

until my mom got there.

I’m here, honey.

Why did I miscarry?

-It was my fault. -It was all my fault.

Because I didn't take care of myself. Because I ran, I went to work.

-I blamed myself for everything. -No, it wasn't your fault, relax.

Get some rest, okay?

Hey, so we're gonna have a big yard for a party, huh?

-Cheers! -Cheers.

So the house is really big then? Congrats.

That's super exciting.

-Maybe you'll come over soon. -Can't wait to see it.

The house is very nice, but it's big for them.

-They don't even have children. -Ma.

-Or maybe they'll fill it with dogs? -Mom, stop.

-Lot of dogs here. -All those rooms,

you've gotta fill 'em with something. You too, Uncle?

We just want you both to be happy there.

It would be so nice to have a few running around there.

I want to meet a great-grandchild of mine.

Well, yeah, Grandma, but I'm only 25.

Well, you had better start soon then, dear.

Otherwise, they'll look like your grandkids instead of your children.

Why don't you adopt?

No, it's not the same, right?

We're gonna have kids of our own.

And Ale has been very busy working at the hospital, it's demanding.

-But we're on it. -Those are priorities.

-Don't wait too long. -Thank you.

-Erik, Another one? -No, thanks.

-Bring me two cold ones, please? -Yeah.

-What happened after that loss? -I got pregnant again soon after, right?

Arturo was always telling me, "Careful, Ale. Don’t do this, don’t do that."

Yeah, we fought the last time about the pregnancy.

I told her she had to be careful, had to rest.

I work all day, I can't be following her around, reminding her.

I even said, "Do it for the baby, if you can't do it for yourself."

but she's stubborn like that.

I mean it.

And well, I lost that pregnancy.

That was my second time having a miscarriage.

After a few years we started to worry, right?

We realized a baby wasn't coming.

Doctor, this is very hard for me, because I want to have a child and I can't.

We don't know what the problem is.

It happened once naturally, so why won't it happen again?

We're not using any protection, so…

I don't know. I think there's something wrong in her body that can't keep it like…

I don't know.

Don't worry.

We're going to see how your uterus is doing after the curettage,

and we're also going to analyze your husband’s semen.

We could even try doing artificial insemination

to help you get pregnant.

That prevents loses, right?

No pregnancy is guaranteed to succeed 100%.

But nature is wise, and it won’t allow an unhealthy baby to reach full term.

You are both very young. You still have time.

Okay, okay, okay, almost there, almost there.

You'll be all right.

Thanks.

When I finally got pregnant the third time, Arturo said,

"Now you have to take care of yourself."

"Now you have to do this, now you have to do that."

"Now you need to stay here."

"Actually, you have to stop working."

And I was like, "No, what are you talking about? I'm not going to stop working."

And he would say, "You are so stubborn."

-Hi, Ale. -Hi, doctor.

How are you feeling?

Great. I'm not nauseous anymore.

-Is everything ready? -Uh-huh.

Hello. Good morning. Come in.

-Thank you. We'll have coffee now, okay? -Okay.

I showed up at my boss's office crying

and said, "I don't feel well."

Ale, I'm so sorry, but with the bleeding… the baby's gone.

Oh no, not again.

I'm sorry.

How am I going to tell Arturo, doctor?

Try to relax, hm?

Relax and

talk to your husband, discuss your options.

It's going to be very difficult for you to have a pregnancy reach full-term.

I'll let you get dressed.

Afterwards, I sat in the clinic waiting room

with mixed feelings.

I blamed myself, obviously.

Look, can someone please help me? I've been waiting here for hours.

You have to wait your turn.

You can't do anything?

You ask God, "Why me?"

"Why is this happening? Why?"

That’s when I met Mayra.

What's wrong?

I want to be a mom, and I can’t.

I'm going to be a mom, and don't want to.

What?

I just found out.

Mayra tells me…

-I don't want to have it. -…she wanted an abortion.

The dad doesn't want to take responsibility

because he says it's not his.

And I… I can’t have another baby.

But, but you can have it by yourself.

No.

I don't study or work.

I just help my mom with stuff.

You can get a job.

Sell something, I don't know.

No, no, no, working isn't for me.

I do sell some stuff, but no.

No. I can’t have another baby.

I already have a daughter. If I have another baby, my mom will kill me.

She'll kick me out of the house and go crazy.

She wouldn't be able to kick you out.

Yeah, she will.

Oh, man.

I'd rather give it away than get rid of it.

I guess.

Then, she says, "I'd rather give it away than get rid of it."

What?

I wanna give it away.

Are you serious?

Yes.

And at the time, you think it's God,

fate, the universe…

If you’re sure, I can keep your baby.

…that puts people in your path,

and maybe God wants you to do something, right?

Yes.

I swear, I'll take care of everything for your baby.

I promise you.

My name's Mayra.

Nice to meet you. I'm Ale.

Look.

OBGYN ADMIN SUPPORT

I work in Gynecology.

Yes, I noticed.

I guess we can start your paperwork so you can have your appointments here.

Okay.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Deep down, I was worried that she would try to blackmail me,

so the less information she had about me, the better.

So I said, "I'll see you here. I work in Women's Health."

"Don't worry. Whatever you need, I'll be here."

This lets you have all your appointments here.

And I also made your ultrasound appointment.

-We'll see you April 20th. -Yeah.

-At eight. -Mm-hm.

I went home, and when I got there I thought,

"I'm not gonna tell anyone."

Mostly, I wasn't telling Arturo.

Why? Because I didn’t want to be blamed.

I didn't want to hear, yet again, "I told you so,"

or "It's your fault," or, "You don't understand."

YOUR BODY TRANSFORMS

PHYSICAL AND HORMONAL CHANGES

Shut the baby…

THE POWER OF PREGNANCY

FOODS THAT CAUSE WEIGHT GAIN

-You say no. Doesn't make sense. -What's the problem?

What were you doing? We couldn't find you.

-I was at school. -He says he was at school.

-That's what he says. -Here you are.

Mom always has my back.

This pozole looks really good.

Hey, damn, I want what you're having.

Well, this is my pregnant diet by my doctor, okay?

Well, introduce me to that doctor, please.

Hey, respect my wife. Mom, look at him.

-How are you feeling? -Fine.

You can't tell from your eyes. Her eyes don't look sunken.

-Mom, stop. -I think that's an old wives' tales.

Stop. Hey.

Hey, sweetie, I bought you some ground beef. Come here.

Peppers, to make stuffed peppers and some eggs.

-And people say I don't spoil him. -Oh, yeah.

Would you look, I even iron his clothes, and I'm pregnant.

Well, pregnancy isn't a malady, my dear. You can do anything.

No, Mom, she can't do anything.

She's already had two miscarriages. She has to be careful.

Well, I'm from a different time.

You okay? What’s wrong?

She's still having a lot of nausea from the pregnancy.

She'll be right back.

-Do you like it? Not eating much. -Mm-hm.

So far, everything was going as planned.

Arturo believed me.

He really thought that I was pregnant.

-How far along are you? -Five months.

Ale, why did you change jobs?

Yeah, I mean, Urology is much more demanding.

Besides, all pregnant women are treated in Gynecology with Dr. Guerrero.

-It’s easier if you're working there. -No, I've been needing a new job.

Gynecology is too much.

But, Ale, you're five months pregnant.

You should have stayed there doing paperwork, sitting at your desk.

No, it seems like normal hours, eight to three,

but no, you always have to do extra.

Hm.

Every night, it was really stressful for me to stay.

All the time, Arturo keeps saying, "Hey, Alejandra,

you can't keep doing this."

"You get home so late."

Yeah, I get it. A man need his wife, right?

Well, my sister's husband left her basically overnight

for far less than that.

-Oh my God, heaven forbid. -Are you serious? No.

Imagine him leaving now.

No, no, no.

No. But that's why I behave.

I mean, we're happier like this.

Well, I hope it's what's best for you three of you.

-Do you want some water? -Yes, please.

THE POWER OF PREGNANCY

When I started gaining weight, everything began to change.

Absolutely everything, my body, having to buy maternity clothes.

With all the weight I was gaining,

my stomach really looked like a pregnancy bump,

So, when Arturo and I were intimate,

whenever I felt his hand on my stomach, I instinctively tightened my muscles

so it felt more firm.

Arturo. Arturo. Arturo, no.

-I know, but I want to. -I can’t.

-The doctor told me not right now. -But why not? Come on.

-I can't do it. I can't do this right now. -Why?

I'm telling you, no.

It can be dangerous.

It could cause a premature baby birth.

What if we hit its head and he comes early?

He said it was called something like

total occlusion placenta previa.

Your stomach is hard but it looks small.

The baby's small and that's the problem, you know?

When are you having another checkup at the hospital?

I don't know.

The other day, your mom wanted to see an ultrasound.

They already did it and everything was good.

And the others, the other ultrasounds, when did you do them?

About a month ago. I don't have the copies yet.

I mean, Arturo,

I do all of it at the hospital, but I didn't get anything.

Mm. And nowhere else is going to do better.

Yeah?

Well, all right then.

If you're happy, I'm happy.

I slept next to him, I had lived with him.

If he said something, I’d immediately say,

"You're bothering me."

"You’re hurting me."

"Don't you know that hurts?"

I guess it was the same kind of emotional blackmail I always used on him.

-How are you? -Fine

Hmm. Did you get the ultrasound?

Yes, but they had me waiting for hours. Haven't eaten anything.

Let's see.

Have some.

I also brought your vitamins.

Take them, okay?

Did they say anything?

It's a girl, and she's underweight.

Hey, you're getting fat.

Are you sure you're not pregnant?

Oh no, I wish. Mmm.

What do you mean?

Is there a due date?

Mm-hm.

They think I'll give birth the week of June 16th.

I have to go. I've been here all morning.

Okay.

You're not alone. I'm always here. Hm?

-See you in two months. -Yeah.

I'll see you on June 16th.

ULTRASOUND

Let me introduce our new family member.

They finally gave it to you?

See, my love? That's the advantage of not leaving the hospital.

You both have no idea how hard it was to get them.

-I explained that it was important to me. -How are you, little guy.

Hello, baby Arturo. He's Arturo junior, yeah?

-Why does that matter? -What do you mean?

Because maybe it's a girl!

It doesn't look like a girl from how you're carrying.

-That's what the doctors said. -You're not a girl.

Don't worry, Arturo, it's not a girl.

-I think that they'd know. -You hear that?

-Either way, it'll be God's will. Right? -Yeah. It's God's will.

-Yeah. -Daddy loves you, little Arturo.

-Need anything? -Yes.

Tea, please.

"They're going to have a house full of dogs. I won't get to have grandkids."

I'll fill the house with dogs that bite you,

-dumb mother-in-law. -Hey. Go easy, that's my mother.

She loves you very much. She asks about you.

She's very happy that you're pregnant.

Yeah, I can tell.

Look at this one. It's so cute.

Yeah, it's cute.

I think maybe one that's a little longer, yeah, at the bottom?

My love.

One of my friends bought this for her baby.

She's adopting him.

Yeah, her mom didn't want him and can't take care of him.

So, well, she's going to keep him.

-Arturo, I’m talking to you. -So, I’m listening.

You're not paying attention though.

What do you want me to say? "It's fine"?

She should try her best, even if the kid isn't hers.

But the kid is hers, yeah? If she raises it, it's hers.

Yeah, but it's not the same.

I could never adopt a baby.

-Okay, but why? -Just because.

It's not the same. I don't want to hurt the kid, you know?

What if I can't love him like I should?

Ale.

-Why are you getting upset? -Mm.

Calm down. Don't let the baby hear.

If it’s a boy, he'll look like you.

If it’s a girl, she'll look like me.

Mm. As long as my girl's not like your mom, all right?

Hey, that's my mom.

I felt very special.

From the minute the people who love you

start treating you with that kind of affection,

filled with anticipation and with, with hope,

where they see you and touch your belly

and, and they treat you so nicely…

-Everything's so pretty. -Thank you.

You look pretty too, Ale.

Okay, that one's done.

So exciting! Are you excited?

Oh, yeah.

The prettiest aunt around.

Look at that. Here I am.

What would you name the baby?

NAME OPTIONS

-If it's a girl, Alejandra. -Uh-huh. Okay.

If it’s a boy, I’d like him to be called Arturo.

-There already two Arturos. -After their dad and mom.

Aww, look how pretty.

-Yes, there's that and here are the girls. -"Alejandra's baby shower."

-Say hi! -Mom of the year.

We love it. What do we say?

Let's do this!

Mom of the year! Mom of the year!

Mom of the year! Mom of the year!

Ale, smile!

All right, it’s okay. What are we missing? Let’s see. Anything else?

Let's all clap for the baby!

Give me an A, an L and an E! Give me an A, an L and an E!

Put it all together now and what does that spell?

Ale! Ale! Rah! Rah! Rah!

Congratulations!

You have only one month left before your baby's born.

Do you have anything you want to say to your guests?

-Ale! Ale! Ale! Ale! Ale! -Yes. Boy. Well…

I feel like I was living in, in another dimension. I don’t know.

Well, uh, um…

Firstly, I want to thank you all for being here.

And, um, I

just wanna say…

…I couldn't be… uh, uh…

…more grateful, yeah,

having you here celebrating with me.

There were so any times I just wanted to say,

"It's not real. This isn't happening." But I couldn't.

-Anyone else? The grandmas? -Me! Me! I want to say something.

I mean, I just…

I want to thank you all

for coming to celebrate with me and Ale.

Because this baby has been long-awaited by this family.

I hope everything goes well, my dear.

This baby will be cute.

-Hmm? -Bravo!

Okay, everybody, let's eat. Come on, there's so much to eat.

Come on. Let me serve you.

I was really suffering.

I mean, I pretended like I was fine,

but I was suffering on the inside.

I mean, it hurt to see how happy my parents were,

my family, my grandmother.

I wish someone had burst that bubble of lies

and made everything come out.

I wish right there and then someone would've said, "Wake up!"

-Like that one? -Yes.

-That's with the discount, right? -Yes, 20% off.

Arturo, this one.

Did you see this one? It’s the same.

It's not the same. I like this one.

Aren't you getting ahead of yourself with color? What if it's a boy?

Well, do you have to like it, or maybe it's me.

-Mm. -I like this one.

All right, it's fine.

We’ll take this one, pretty please.

Thanks.

I want to sit down.

I was so, so fat. I mean, literally weighed 98 kilos.

I had gained way too much weight.

I didn't feel good. Everything hurt.

I get tired when I stand up too long.

And Arturo was thinking, "Something's not right."

-It's okay, my love. -"Something’s wrong."

-Time for maternity leave. -No, I won't stop, I can't stop.

You know me, I can keep working there, so…

Ale, why won't you just go on leave?

It's good for the baby.

Okay, yeah, you're right, okay.

-But just leave me alone. -I’ll go with you, okay?

No, Arturo, you don't have to go with me.

No way. You're taking me.

-It's not necessary. -You're taking me with you.

MARÍN MENDOZA, ELEONOR ALEJANDRA

I couldn't keep excluding Arturo.

Since I worked for so long at the hospital,

well, I learned how to do a few things

and had some clinical knowledge.

So, I created my own medical records.

MEDICAL RECORD

12 WEEKS - 14 WEEKS - 17 WEEKS

20 WEEKS - 22 WEEKS - 27 WEEKS

When we went to request my maternity leave,

I was thinking, "How do I get out of here?"

"What's my escape route when they find out that I'm not pregnant?"

-"They’ll say I'm crazy, insane." -How far along are you?

Uh, ma'am?

How far along are you?

Uh, 38 weeks, so...

Good. And how do you feel?

Fine.

Any pain, dizziness, nausea? Trouble sleeping?

No, nothing.

Good. I'm going to place a device to listen to the baby’s heartbeat.

Okay?

No. I can't hear it.

You can't hear anything?

I think it’s the device.

The old ones were better.

I'll get another one.

I told you we should have come in sooner.

Arturo, I wanted to come sooner.

Arturo. Arturo.

What?

-It’s just... -It's just what?

I just…

Let's see.

If I may.

There it is.

Good.

So, doctor…

…everything's fine with my baby, right?

Yes, yes. I'll grant you your maternity leave.

The doctor gave me 90 days of maternity leave,

so Arturo was relieved.

I was, I mean, really, at that point,

I wasn't Alejandra anymore.

I mean, Alejandra, at that point, was a mixture of everything.

I was sick, I mean, I was not well.

In my head I was saying, "What if I actually am pregnant?"

"What if I didn't have a miscarriage or maybe I got pregnant again?"

"If I'm pregnant, how am I gonna do this?"

There was a lot going on in my head that wasn't right.

Well done! Okay, now we'll do it one more time.

-Going out? -To the hospital.

Why are you going to work, babe? Thought you were on leave.

You don't have to go. You're giving birth soon. It'll end badly.

It's good for me to go. It's distracting.

And besides, my quarterly report is today. I have to help my colleagues.

-And what am I gonna do here? -You'll rest. You need to rest.

I can't let them fly solo. I have to help them.

-They don't know how to do it. -So what if they can't.

-You need to be careful. -No, I can't miss it.

And like your mom says, "Pregnancy is not a malady," hm?

Fine then.

But don't hurt my baby, okay?

BIRTH LOG HOSPITAL RECORDS

PATIENT NAME - TYPE OF BIRTH

Hi, my love.

-Ah! -Hi, Ale! How've you been?

-Oh my God, great, and you? -Good.

Can you check on my neighbor? She should be in now.

Sure. Let's see, what's her name?

Her name is Mayra Navarro Vega.

Mayra?

-Mm-hm. My neighbor told me she was due. -Let's see.

Mayra, Mayra… Let’s see. Let's see. Yes, here she is.

She came today, but they scheduled her for a C-section tomorrow.

-Let's make a video for the baby. -No.

-Come on. -I'm too tired.

The baby could come tomorrow.

No, tomorrow they’ll tell me if they're going to induce labor.

-Fine. -Hey.

-Huh? -I'm craving chocolate. Can you get it?

Yeah, just a minute.

You ready?

-Our baby's coming tomorrow. -Mm-hm.

Aren't you excited?

So much I can't even show it.

Let's see that big belly.

When they see this video in about ten years,

they'll see how big your belly was.

My baby is in there.

My son!

Everyone's gonna come see him.

He’s gonna live here with us

in this home.

The one we bought, just for him.

Right?

PEOPLE IN RECOVERY ROOMS

MAYRA A. NAVARRO V. CESAREAN SECTION

ARTURO CALL REJECTED

Ale, how are you?

Hi, sweetie.

-What are you doing here? -I came to see my neighbor, yeah?

-I'll find you in a bit, okay? -Yes!

I went upstairs to see Mayra around 12:30

when they took her to her room.

Mayra.

Where is she?

Over there.

She's so pretty.

She's so fair, isn't she?

Hi.

Hi.

Our deal is still on, right?

Yeah.

-You okay? -I'm cold.

-I want to go to the bathroom. -I'll give you my sweater.

One second.

There.

I'm going to pick her up.

That's fine.

Hello.

You sweet baby.

Hey, baby girl.

Shh, it's okay.

Shh.

How are you?

I'm fine.

Did they tell you how much the baby weighed?

About two kilos.

So cute.

I was holding her when at around two or three in the afternoon…

Hi. How are you?

…this man shows up.

What are you doing here?

There's your little girl.

That's my daughter?

-Why is she holding her? -He's the baby's dad?

-Yeah. -Let me see.

What's going on?

Mayra has a high fever.

Well, go tell someone.

I'm not a doctor, I don't know what's wrong.

Hey there, little one.

I'm going to get diapers for her.

-Hi, love. Sorry. -Why aren't you answering?

I've been calling you. Where are you? Are they getting you ready to give birth?

No, I'm not giving birth yet.

Tell me what the doctors are saying. Tell me what's going on.

Let me speak, Arturo.

What do you mean, what the doctors are saying? I'm not dilated enough.

-They're seeing if it'll be a C-section. -When are they doing the C-section?

I'm still at work. My boss hasn't told me if I can leave early or not.

But I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm coming.

No, it's not necessary for you to come, Arturo. I'm okay.

I'm not able to talk right now but I’ll keep you updated.

-Did he leave? -He's gonna regret it.

I swear, that motherfucker's gonna pay. He's gonna pay for this.

Okay. Okay. No. No.

Shh. Shh. Shh. Shh. Shh.

-Okay. Time to change the baby. -I have to go.

I can't be here anymore.

What do you mean? Where are you going?

Take the baby like we agreed.

My mom won’t let me back in the house. I have to go to Chihuahua.

Look, Mayra, calm down. The baby can't stay here alone.

We have to do things properly.

No, no, where are you going, Mayra. Wait. No, just wait.

I already did everything I had to.

There’s the baby. Isn't that’s what you wanted. Take her.

I picked up the baby, went into the hallway and turned around like,

"No, I can't."

"Even though I work at the hospital and everything,

there's no way I can just leave with the baby like this."

And that's when I thought,

"I better go, I'm leaving."

And I swear, I said, "Enough, that's enough."

But I turned around and thought,

"If I leave the baby here, what usually happens is,

because unfortunately, babies are abandoned at hospitals,

"if I leave the baby, child services takes her."

"She doesn't deserve that."

"Just because I messed up? But how am I gonna get her out?"

-Ale, are you leaving? -Yeah.

Get rest!

I left the hospital,

and that’s when… I don't know.

Maybe it was fate or maybe it was just luck.

I don't know.

I was walking out and I heard someone say,

"What are you doing? Alejandra."

Alejandra! What happened?

What happened?

I already gave birth.

What are you thinking? What happened? Why'd you leave?

Arturo, calm down, seriously. Everything went well. The birth was fine.

What happened, Alejandra? Tell me what happened.

I lost our child, okay?

-What? -I lost our baby months ago.

What do you mean, you lost the baby?

How could…?

Look.

-They gave me this baby. -What? Are you serious?

Arturo! Arturo!

Listen to me. They gave her to me! Arturo, they gave her to me.

-What'll I do with you? You're crazy. -What do you mean?

-Get out and give them that baby. -I'm not going!

-Take her back! -I'm not taking her back!

-Take that baby back. Get out of the car! -I'm not taking her back!

-I'm not taking her back! -People don't give babies away! Get out.

Get the fuck out of here!

Arturo, please, listen to me. Arturo.

Arturo, just… I am telling you, I am begging you.

The baby didn't do anything. What will happen to her?

Arturo, I’m talking to you! Listen to me!

Ah! Fine, get in!

EXIT

What are you gonna do?

Well…

It's just that Mayra, the baby's mom, leaves early tomorrow.

I was going to pretend to be a family member so they would let her go home.

And then, when you guys got there, I would already have the baby and paperwork.

That's it, Arturo. I didn't think this would happen.

-This just isn't right. -Forgive me.

I love you, Arturo. Please, please forgive me.

-Don't leave, my love. -So that's why you lied then?

They couldn't find me out.

What would they say?

-Someone just gave her away. -Why'd you keep me in the dark, Alejandra?

What are you getting me into, dammit? I don't know. I don't know.

Shh. Shh.

It's okay, it's okay.

I don't care how you do it, but I want my child, okay?

You're okay.

Give her to me.

It's okay.

It's okay.

It's okay.

No, no, don't be scared.

It's okay, baby.

-Police! -Police! Hands up!

-What happened?! -Hands where I can see them!

We didn't do anything!

Move it!

-No, no, no! Let go of me! -Hey, calm down. Okay?

-We're going to get her checked out. -I'm her mama!

-Arturo, my daughter! I'm her mama! -Nothing's going to happen.

Going to see if she's okay.

Ale, just do it! Just give her to 'em!

That's it, hand her over, slowly.

-We've got the girl back. -Let her go!

Let her go, you bastard! Let her go!

Stop hurting her, asshole!

Shut your mouth! You hear me?

-Identify yourself! -Arturo Calderón Gamino!

And you? And you?!

She's Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza!

Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza!

We're playing songs from the past.

For the romantics, we have this classic.

We were in the squad car, and that song started playing.

And the fact that we danced to it on our wedding day,

that it was our special dance,

and to be hearing it then was like…

I don't know, like for me, I felt like

love is real and we were gonna be okay.

That's how I felt.

♪ And time ♪

♪ Goes by ♪

Sir, please, would you turn off that song?

Sir, please turn off that song!

Please, for the love of God, turn it off. Please, just turn it off.

Ale!

Can we get a picture?

-Did your husband help? -Plan everything together?

No, my husband had nothing to do with this. And I'm not a thief.

I made arrangements with the girl's mother.

Five months ago I saw her at the hospital.

We both talked at the clinic,

her and I, so…

She said she was a mother and single, that it was her second child,

with a different father, and that she wanted to abort it.

She told me she wanted to get rid of it or give it away.

She assured me she knew what she wanted to do with it,

so I asked to be considered.

If you two had an arrangement, why did you take the baby?

Arturo, were you part of the plan?

FEDERAL DISTRICT'S DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

They call her the baby snatcher.

Authorities believe she had help from her husband, Arturo Calderón.

…Mendoza and Arturo Calderón Gamino

the two suspects accused of abducting a baby.

They stole the newborn from Mexico General Hospital

while the parents were left with overwhelming despair.

♪ In another life ♪

♪ We got married And traveled all over the world ♪

♪ We moved to a flat on the second floor ♪

♪ My parents And your parents are friends ♪

♪ Our children ♪

♪ Have my patience and your smile ♪

♪ We go for strolls And we read poetry ♪

♪ Shit, we had a great other life ♪

♪ Not this one ♪

♪ I don’t know why it didn’t work out ♪

♪ Maybe it was a whim of God ♪

♪ The courage That they both always lacked ♪

♪ But I'll wait for you here ♪

♪ If you change your mind ♪

♪ It's not too late to return… ♪

I’ve served 13 years, 3 months and 25 days in prison.

When I first got here, I was very hard for me.

Because not only was Alejandra going to jail,

Alejandra was also being called a liar.

Alejandra had hurt her parents.

Alejandra had hurt her husband.

Alejandra had done the worst things without meaning to.

The first few years were hard because Arturo, my husband,

was considered my accomplice.

So I felt guilty about everything that was happening to him.

I mean, I wanted to go through what he was going through.

I wanted to…

If it was Arturo's turn to use the bathroom at the men's prison,

I wanted to be in the bathroom with him.

And if he didn’t eat, I didn't want to, stuff like that.

FEDERAL DISTRICT'S DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

She did something unforgivable in that moment.

And yeah, the feeling is rage, pretty much.

That's the only thing that… that I could feel toward her at the time.

I kept thinking, "Will this have consequences, legally speaking,

or, like, kill my love for her?"

"Or should I just divorce Alejandra because of this lie?"

"Because she deceived me because this is not my baby,

because she did things she shouldn't have?"

"Or because she's not a good wife," and stuff like that.

"I'll never see her again."

That’s the only thing I thought about while I was in jail.

Your head is about to explode.

I mean, the fear.

The terror, it later becomes terror. It's just…

You want to cry and can't because they will beat you up.

Or they'll beat you up even worse because you're crying.

No, I mean, you're broken.

Emotionally, physically and in every way.

That's just part of the deal when you go to jail.

Like that other shade.

I like this shade.

Here are the others. I'll give you the other one later.

Go for a 4.1 or a 5.1

Oh, don't talk to Arturo, baby, because you won't.

Yesterday, when I called Arturo, he was really intense.

I heard.

Oh, you were inside already?

-So you heard. -What?

He got intense last night. I called him and I'm like, "Hi, honey..."

He's going through andropause.

I said, "Hi, honey. How are you?"

And he says, "Hi. Fine, and you?"

And I say, "Fine, hon. What's up?"

"I'm mad."

Poor sweet thing.

His heart is aching. You have to give in a little too.

You just want him to give in?

So what am I gonna do? Whatever he wants?

Beats me, girl.

Hurray for women's liberation.

Just that he always wins.

You won't… You won't be able to control him anymore.

-No one values how hard he tries. -Oh, no.

Pay attention, because this investigation has two possible theories.

First, is that the girl was stolen.

Second hypothesis is that she was given away.

But why?

At the time of her arrest, this woman testified

that the baby was given away by her birth mother.

Five months ago, I met her at the hospital.

We were at the clinic when we had our first conversation, her and I.

She tells me she was a single mother,

her second child with a different father,

and that she wanted an abortion.

She told me that she either wanted to get rid of it or give away the baby.

REPORT OF SUSPICIOUS COUPLE WITH A BABY

Eleonor is blaming the newborn’s mother.

She said that they had made a deal

that she would give her the baby.

I felt guilty for leaving her alone.

It was awful.

Desperation, anguish…

I wanted to hug her.

I hope she forgives me for leaving her alone.

The justice system will be responsible for shedding light on what happened

and, of course, for punishing those responsible.

As a judge, you can’t, um…

dismiss a version of the facts

under the premise that, "Oh, this is incredible,"

or "No, it’s impossible that this happened."

"No, this doesn’t happen in real life."

Let's just say that more things happen in real life

than fiction could ever envision.

So, it was possible.

It was possible that she had an agreement with the girl's mother.

EVIDENCE

And we, the judges, beyond the positions that people may have,

the truth is that everything is subject to how it is proven,

or rather, whether it is proven during the trial itself.

EVIDENCE

The wedding veil, what do you think?

The other thing I want you to wear...

At the trial, Alejandra told her story,

and she told it in a very consistent way.

regarding the suffering that she had experienced.

A woman with a functional marriage,

but who does not feel satisfied

because she cannot fulfill the societal expectation of being a mother.

She is criticized by her husband's family,

in the sense that…

"Well, you are probably no good as a woman if you aren't a mother."

The most a woman who cannot be a mother can evoke in us is compassion.

In this story, as in many others,

we see how these gender roles

disproportionately affect women,

leading to tragic outcomes, as happened in this case.

A family is the husband,

the mother, the house,

the car,

and the children.

And I think all of that began to cause psychological damage to my daughter.

When I said, "I don't want to consider adopting,"

I want a child with my DNA,"

I maybe contributed to closing myself off in that sense."

At some point, I did put pressure on her

because I said, "I wanna be a dad."

"I want to be a dad, and I want to have a kid."

Obviously, being in jail, you have a lot of time to think about things,

to see what or where you failed as a partner.

At that time, I didn't understand it,

I didn't justify it, I didn't get it.

But I was starting to soften.

And with the problems I've told you about, the ones I had in jail,

I started to talk more with Ale.

"Ale, I'm sorry I didn't write to you before."

"I was confused and overwhelmed, scared and depressed."

"For me, it's very difficult to justify your lie."

"It causes me a lot of hurt and pain."

"Of course, what happened was no small thing."

"But even so, I forgive you with all my heart."

"Hello, my love, my beauty, my light and my everything."

"I hope the bedbugs let you sleep, you sleepyhead."

"Hey, my love, I wanted to tell you something, I hope you don't mind."

"I’m going to work really hard to save money and be able to do IVF."

"I read in the newspaper that we can probably get a surrogate, my love,

and that we have to get through this nightmare."

"You have to be strong."

"I love you with all my heart."

I spent two years in jail.

Two years and six months.

Until the trial was over.

And I was acquitted.

All the psychological damage you get from being in jail,

they just tell you, "Your sentence is acquitted."

"We'll destroy your record right here in front of you."

"Look, you don't have a criminal record."

But the scar remains.

What we concluded in terms of the theory of the crime,

is that there was no malicious intent on his part.

He wasn’t an accomplice,

because he was only aware of Alejandra's version of the encounter with Mayra.

And that alleged agreement with Mayra

was the weakest part of Alejandra's defense.

The General Hospital reported the disappearance,

and they made the request to call the police.

When the police arrived, they talked to her,

and that's when she said, "Yes, she was stolen from me."

I'm guessing. As I said, I don't know.

But it wasn't until the hospital reported it.

Obviously, I know that you can't do that,

so it had to be her or me in prison.

She couldn't have said, "I gave away the baby,"

because that's illegal too, right?

Mayra, it was hard to get your version of the story.

For a long time, I had only ever heard Ale’s version,

who told me that you met at the General Hospital when you were pregnant,

and that on the day of the birth you left the baby

and told her you were going to Chihuahua.

What do you think of this version?

Well, it's very illogical.

Super illogical, it's very…

I mean,

If you’re going to give away a baby,

you wouldn't do it inside the hospital, right?

You wouldn't take her the way she did.

There was never a deal, never.

I'm telling you, I didn't see her until the day Katya was born,

and the evidence shows that.

My pregnancy checkup records are at the health center.

I only went to the hospital to give birth, nothing else.

I had my pregnancy check-ups at a health center.

I never set foot in the hospital before that.

There is no way I could have met her.

PRENATAL CHECKUP

There were documents, like Mayra's appointment card

where you could see that her pregnancy checkups

were at a different clinic.

It wasn't until very late, almost at the end of her pregnancy,

when she went to the General Hospital.

So, there was no correlation

between the circumstances described by Alejandra

and the fact that, actually, Mayra had not been physically at the hospital

until just a few weeks before giving birth.

She was wandering around the labor and delivery unit

and came to tell me that she was doing a survey.

He showed me her ID, her badge, and I trusted her.

She started asking a lot of questions.

She asked if it was my first daughter,

if this was from the same marriage,

and, well, how was my relationship with the father.

I mean, she got everything from there.

Everything she told the police was practically everything she asked me.

Ale, what doesn’t fit in your story is that the file says

you arrived at the hospital posing as a social worker.

Were you conducting surveys?

A lot of people might say that, you know,

that I was doing surveys.

The truth is, it wasn't like that.

You went to the maternity ward saying you were a relative?

-That she was my neighbor. -I came to see a neighbor.

Things like that.

That she was my neighbor, and I had to go in to see her, and so on.

ELEONOR ALEJANDRA MARÍN MENDOZA AREA 3 - UROLOGY

They found the sweater Alejandra was wearing,

which had the badge with her ID as hospital worker.

And they also found this folder with the surveys,

which were the documents Alejandra took with her

to start up a conversation.

I went into the hospital,

and Mayra was in bed.

I asked her, "How are you feeling?"

She said, "Really bad. I have a high fever."

And then she said, "There's the baby."

And, well, I saw my daughter for the first time, and

I fell in love with her.

-Vale. -Okay. My girl.

We're asleep.

For when she's older.

I'll have the video edited so she can see where she was when she was born.

At that point, when I got there to meet my daughter,

Mayra was with someone.

I said, "Mayra, who is this?"

And Mayra said to me, "She’s a social worker who's doing some surveys."

That's when she got up and left.

She got up, left the papers and walked out.

Around 6:00 p.m. when visiting hours were over, I went back to the room.

And she had already taken a shower.

And I said, "Is everything okay?"

And she said, "Yes, but he's gonna pay for it, that motherfucker."

You know what? Keep her, just like we agreed.

What do you mean?

She said to me, "I’m going to Chihuahua."

-I'm going to Chihuahua. -You can't leave.

And I was like, "What? What do you mean, you're leaving?"

I had a fever of almost 104 degrees.

They couldn't discharge me because I had an infection.

They sent me for some urine tests.

I left the room and told my roommates,

I had two roommates,

"Keep an eye on my baby. I'll be right back."

The bathroom was just a few steps from the room.

I came back, and my daughter was gone.

The first thing I thought was, "Well, maybe they're bathing her,

or they took her to feed her."

I was sure a nurse had her.

Never, never did I think my baby was kidnapped.

I was just told that my baby was kidnapped from this hospital,

the General Hospital.

-I love my baby so much. -Talk to the public.

Please, help me get my baby back.

If you have her…

I'll give you my life, everything I have,

but please, give her back to me, please.

Is there anything else you'd like to say?

This happened in a public hospital.

OB-GYN EMERGENCIES

There is major institutional accountability here.

The hospital security didn't work.

There was disregard for Alejandra's situation,

having lost three babies in the public health system.

There was no psychiatric intervention,

no one picked up on what she was going through.

And on top of all of this,

Alejandra was actually granted maternity leave

by a public health institution.

This was amazingly hard to believe.

And yet, it happened.

The doctor measured me, he checked me

and he weighed me.

-Good. -He heard the heartbeat.

I’ll grant you your maternity leave.

And honestly, you could hear it. You could hear it.

Psychologists later told me,

in my court-mandated psychological evaluation…

They explained to me that

oftentimes, your mind,

you suddenly strain your mind

into kind of echoing everything.

Which is what the doctor heard.

When two psychologists intervened, they gave us an explanation

that clinically-speaking,

there are such things as pseudo-pregnancies.

Her psychological pregnancy was a way

to mitigate the reality of not having children.

It's a way, her reaction,

to all of the social demands from her family.

So that's when the suggestion starts

and her psychological pregnancy begins.

And she says, "I started to gain weight."

"I started to feel nauseous."

"I started to feel pain in my hips."

She says, "My stomach started to grow."

-Sweetie. -What?

-Our baby is coming tomorrow. -Mm-hm.

Aren't you excited?

So much I can't even show it.

Let's see that big belly.

Before he's born, he can, when he sees this video in about ten years,

he'll see how big your belly was, the baby.

My baby is in there.

My son!

My beautiful baby.

Tomorrow, on Ishmael's Day, but he'll be named Arturo

like his fucking father.

Everyone's going to come see him.

With the pressure of having children

and Alejandra's history of losing two prior pregnancies,

I understand that she believes this story.

And she also has the ability

to make everyone around her believe it too.

He’s going to live here with us

in his house that we bought

just for him.

Right?

Right?

Evidence was presented that,

that I think was conclusive in this regard.

There had been a baby shower.

They set up the monitor and played the video

right there in the court.

It was shocking.

Because unless they were all great actors and actresses,

it was conclusive proof

that Alejandra made her entire family

and other attendants believe that she was pregnant.

Sofi, sit down, honey.

Wow!

Bravo!

Aw, how cute!

Ah, what could it be?

No, no, no. I didn’t guess, it’s just a hunch.

They say you have to touch it.

Rah-rah-boom, let’s go!

Boom-bam-rah-rah, hooray!

The baby, the baby! Rah, rah, rah!

Okay, does anyone want to say a few words

-or congratulate her? -Me.

-María can do it, okay. -Me, me.

-The mama. -I, um, I want to thank you all.

You know, all her friends, after so many years of knowing each other,

my sisters, my family.

Thank you all for coming to celebrate with me,

because this baby has been long awaited.

-By the whole family. -By this whole family.

And I hope everything goes well, my dear.

Everything will be fine.

-A beautiful baby girl. -Bravo!

I thought, "I'm gonna have a grandchild from my daughter?"

But, when I saw the video, I saw that sadness in her.

Immense sadness.

And that's why I think she couldn't stop crying.

I said, "Hey, you've gotta be happy, look,"

I hugged her and everything, you know, because

it’s something we wanted.

-How's it going? -What are you doing?

I'm here, my love, getting ready to leave.

Ah, okay. And dad?

He's here.

What? What is Dad doing?

We were putting some things away.

Did you have breakfast?

Well…

I was chopping an onion and all that.

Uh-huh.

And I just made myself a ham omelet with cheese.

Oh, good. I'm glad you had breakfast.

I made your dad some scrambled eggs.

When you tell me to, I'll go over.

From the results of the psychological evaluations,

the diagnosis we made of Alejandra

was that she tends to dissociate.

And, in that dissociation, she convinces herself something is true

and is able to confuse fantasy with reality.

And, if you add to that, the pressure of wanting to be a mom,

it's what makes her misinterpret facts.

Because what she does wrong is,

she interprets everything in her favor.

After the psychological evaluation and the evidence submitted,

it wouldn't take much effort for anyone

to see how the story was coming together.

And, in the end, the only thing that didn’t fit

was Mayra's alleged consent, or the claims that she had consented.

With the history of her psychological pregnancy,

all the social pressure,

we thought that Alejandra had acted under the effect of this disorder,

and this had a significant impact on how much punishment

she actually deserved.

Of course, other factors came into play,

and a very important factor was that the baby girl was fine.

I opted for the minimum sentence.

I couldn't have imposed a lesser sentence,

because her behavior was very serious.

There was a victim, and in addition,

a father and a mother who also wanted justice.

I don't have any sympathy for her.

I never have.

She didn't feel any sympathy when she kidnapped my daughter.

And she hasn't shown any remorse either.

If you ask me if I have forgiven her or if I…

It's something that…

No, I couldn't do and I don't think I can ever forgive her.

"This court finds Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza"

criminally responsible

for the crime of unlawful kidnapping of a minor

under 16 years old of age

"with the intention of harming her or someone else."

"It is therefore fitting to impose a sentence

of 13 years and 4 months in prison and a fine."

I don't know why you're here, and I don't care.

But you suffered a lot.

It will be very hard for you.

But you will manage, because your first card is triumph.

This is you.

In a good financial situation.

Here is your family.

With all your paperwork in order and the marriage.

This is a good prison, a Kabbalistic number seven, that you are in.

You haven't been in a bad prison.

Here is a card that is a bad card.

Maybe you will see it with your partner.

Maybe you will catch him cheating on you.

You will find something out, because it's up here, infidelity.

Another question, my dear.

Should I stay with Arturo?

Here, the cards are telling you to be alone for now.

To give yourself some space and see which reality is best for you.

Here is Arturo.

And here is the woman, the battle you are going to face.

Here, it shows loneliness, but a lot of strength.

It is telling you an overwhelming victory awaits you across the board,

with any man you want.

What did I do wrong to be here?

Breaking the law.

Lying.

Deceiving.

Causing pain.

I was afraid and scared that

that he would leave me for failing to become a mother

and that I'd be targeted and judged.

Actually, I was judged for something much worse in the end.

-My love! -Here's the ham.

How are you? Hm?

Soon you'll have your dear wife back, my love.

Mmm.

What do you mean, "Mmm"?

You look so happy. Why are you trying to hide it.

-I was saying... -Everyone is making fun of me.

They're saying, "Your bachelor days are over."

-Who's saying that? -Everyone who, who goes to the store.

They're making fun of you because the witch is coming back.

Yeah, they're like, "You're gonna be whipped."

-"You won't be able to come here anymore." -That's what they're saying?

Yeah.

No, but I do think things are gonna change, right?

Yeah. One more weekend, and then it's over.

After this weekend.

Wednesday, right?

I'm like, "Enough already. Please, I'm done."

I'm very nervous.

Yes, the final stretch is the hardest, right?

So, what, everything's already finalized, right?

-No, honey, not really. -What's up?

-I'm more nervous than before. -What time are they letting you out?

I think around two.

-I love you. -You do?

I love you.

Oh, Ale, I’m going to miss you.

Done. Other hand.

So, are you guys gonna go to the beach?

Oh, Ale, this is so exciting.

-I want the river and the ocean. -Oh yeah, you told me.

You can swim more easily in the river.

It's just harder in the ocean.

But I do want to go for a swim in the ocean.

-For you, my Carla. -Thank you, sweetie.

-Wow, Carla. -Thank you.

Someone can have these.

Oh, honey, your treasures.

My treasures. You know they're my treasures.

Does anyone want a picture of my Arturo?

We can just drag this around. Look.

Jesus Christ.

And obviously, you can take these two, honey.

Yes.

-I can’t leave you clothes, but, um… -No, honey, I know.

This is enough. You’re leaving me the most important thing.

We’ll all gonna be fine, you’ll see.

You'll see.

-You're the one forging this path. -Yes.

None of us have left yet, but you're going to be first.

-Yes. -And you'll see.

-We'll start leaving one after another. -I'm opening the door for us.

-Yes, you are. -I’m taking you all with me.

Yes.

Don’t stop calling me or picking up the phone.

I love you. I love you all so much.

-I love you. I love you so much. -I love you too, Carla.

During these 13 years in prison,

I have focused on accepting not being a mom.

Before, I think my desire to be a mom

was more about pleasing others.

But what else is out there beyond being a mom?

And finally understood that there is so much to live for.

You breathe just like that, just like drinking water.

-She's so nervous. -Wait one moment.

I love you all so much.

A cheers for Ale.

Hey!

One, two, three, Ale!

-Thank you, loves. -Love you.

Thank you for everything.

-I don't want to leave you guys. -I'm really going to miss you.

-I love you very much. -Stay strong. Stay strong.

Strong.

I love you very much.

I love you all.

I'll never forget you, Ale. I love you, girl.

Bye.

Bye, Ale.

Oh, there she is!

Oh, honey, come here.

We’re here.

We’re together again.

-It’s over. -It’s over, my child.

It's over.

Alejandra is leaving prison at 39 years old. She went in at 26.

My love, I love you.

Bravo, Arturo!

Of all the years we've been married,

I've lived alone longer than with her.

And she's not crying, right?

I’m happy with what I have

and what we can start over with.

Obviously, you always have that nagging feeling

about having your own kids,

and if the opportunity arises to, well,

do IVF and get a surrogate,

yeah, maybe we will.

With a child, your last name, and lineage, continues

and whatever you want them to carry on.

I would indeed like to have, well, a child.

Not as much as before, but I still have that desire engrained in me,

and I don't think it will ever go away.

What do you think ours will be like?

As long as he doesn't turn out like that one.

Is he moving?

Yeah, our baby just moved.

What's up, baby?

My baby son.

Cut!

What did you think?

It's…

What about you?

Good, good.

Let's go.

Hey.

Being a spectator to my own story was very impactful.

In real life, I would've loved to have been able to say,

"Take 1" or "Take 2,"

and be able to repeat scenes.

I totally understand you, Ale.

And if we could write something and think up some takes

or come up with a different ending for this movie, what would you say?

If I could write the ending of this movie,

I think I would go in a different direction.

I would keep growing.

And be able to enjoy myself.

And I would go… I would go on a trip, I think.

To a beach where I would be very happy and fulfilled.

Ale, I would've loved your ending at the beach.

That would be a happy ending for me.

It's been two years since you came out of prison,

and a lot has happened since you got out.

How would you finish the documentary?

What ending would I show?

Oh, my.

Life changes in the blink of an eye.

When I got out of prison

Arturo told me again that he still wanted to be a father.

And I told him that that was valid

and that he should go and find his happiness.

That I definitely wasn't going to undergo any treatment,

and that he wasn't going to be a father with me.

We were separated for a while, gave each other some space,

and he had another relationship, a short affair

that resulted in his son being born.

Then, Arturo came looking for me.

We talked, and he told me everything that had happened.

He told me that, well that he missed me a lot, that he loved me,

and that he wanted me to be in his life.

That we should try again,

and I decided to give it a try.

It makes me very happy to see him smile

and to see him fulfilled as a father.

It makes me even happier

that he sees me in his life as,

as a mother or parent to his son.

Oh my goodness! Look at you!

Look how cute! Come here!

Run! Run! Run!

Come get me! Ah! Ah!

Come here!

Ah! There he is!

I see you!

You can do it! You can do it!

Come on, my love, you can do it!

That's it! That's it!

Whoo!

Let's go eat. Shall we?

Do you want pizza?