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(melodic glitch)
(screechy clattering)
(vacuum white noise)
(liquid softly spurting)
(faint voices)
(distant city traffic)
(soft snipping)
(soft peeling)
(melodic drone)
The butterflies that represent our visiting ancestors don't harm anyone.
Far from that. They're miraculous.
(wind swirls)
I remember that my dad used to say
that they don't make noise when they come and go from the sky
so if you have a wish and ask, they will grant it.
(wind whoosh)
(birds chirping)
(wings softly fluttering)
(approaching footsteps)
Those butterflies look like a bear, no?
To me it looks more like someone hanging themselves.
A dead person.
Hey.
Imagine touching those butterflies
and then they all fly away?
Yeah, it would look like a plague with all of them together.
Come on... fly!
Wow.
(boy happily sighs)
(wings flapping)
(gentle lapping of water)
-Drinking water? -Mendel, come!
One morning I woke up...
Let's go...
-There were no survivors. -One, two, three...
No humans.
-Come here, stinker. -No, you stink!
Not even the resemblance of an animal.
Only me.
(chainsaw buzzing, trees falling)
(dogs barking, distant voices)
(dog howling)
(animal figurine falls)
Simón.
What?
Can a dead person still breathe?
No, because when someone dies, they stop existing.
Simón.
What?
How does one stop existing?
When your body vanishes, and all that's left is your soul,
but after that, the soul goes to heaven.
And how does it go to heaven?
In an elevator.
Get some rest.
Simón.
What?
-And what is the elevator connected to? -To a cloud.
And... did our parents take that elevator?
Yes.
Good night.
-Simón. -What now?
Good night.
(puffs out flame)
(wind chimes clanking)
(wind blowing)
Mendel.
It's your uncle Gabino.
I tried calling several times but I can't get ahold of you.
I am guessing you haven't spoken to your brother.
So...
(coin drops)
Your grandma is not doing so well.
Call me back.
Hope all is well in New York.
Goodbye, son.
(ambient city rumble)
(traffic noises, street sounds)
(distant siren wailing)
(passing car whoosh)
(faint reggaeton music)
(brakes squealing)
(small town bustle)
Thank you.
-Want some help? -No, thank you.
My American nephew!
Uncle!
-How are you? -Good. And you?
Fine.
-You're taller, no? -Yeah.
What do they feed you over there?
Nothing but sausage?
Exhausting?
Kind of.
(bus driving away)
How is it going with the hotel?
It's going...
We're in the busy season.
Right.
How does it look?
Nothing changed, right?
Some things did. Others didn't.
Did you know that Estelita went to study in Queretaro?
No.
So your aunt and I are alone but we're okay.
Welcome home.
Despite the circumstances.
And how are you?
Hanging in there.
It's not easy to lose one's mother.
But you know what your grandma was like...
She lived how she wanted... and died when she wanted.
She's resting now.
They're still cutting, right?
Who's going to stop them?
It will soon turn into a desert.
Well... they're gangs, son.
The last days of the butterflies.
You see that container?
See what it says? Drinking water.
You know what these assholes put in there?
Cyanide.
They empty it, remove the label and say it's water.
Motherfuckers.
Why would they ever decide to reopen the damn mine?
Because people need to work, son.
-Simón is still working there? -Yeah.
Don't judge your brother.
I know.
But they should have a bit of a conscience.
(loud truck engine)
This land belongs to no one.
(nostalgic chords)
(animated town life)
Have you seen Vicente?
Vicente?
He's around, a bit lost with his spiritual and new-age stuff.
He may have gone to India to find himself.
I'm sure he did.
-This will always be your home. -Thank you, uncle.
Dolores, can I have Room #2?
Listen... This kid is like my son.
I'm going to write his name here.
(wind gusting)
(dogs barking)
(horn honking)
(Mendel quivers)
The big ones scare me 'cause...
-Why? -I don't know.
The little animal is already dead.
(grandma exclaims)
(she quietly chuckles)
You look like your dad.
Don't make that sad face. That's a good thing.
(heavy sigh)
Let's go in, son.
(soft prayers)
Hi dear.
Mendel.
-Remember your uncle? -No.
We always show him photos of you.
Hi uncle.
Hi love.
(deep sigh)
(prayers get louder)
(door creaks open)
Go play.
-How are you? -Good.
Brisa... son, I'm heading to the hotel. A few Canadians just arrived.
-I'll be right back. -Don't worry. We'll be here.
-Thank you dear. -Take care, uncle.
(kids playing)
How are you?
What's new in your life?
All good.
I'm working with Juan Carlos at the hair salon in the mornings.
And Gerardo?
He works in Zitacuaro. In the copper factory.
Good old Gerardo.
And did you get married?
Why would I get married?
That's not for me.
Well, you should get on it 'cause we've all got a few kids here.
Remember when we were like them and we'd go up the mountain to squish people?
Like this.
(squish noise)
Mommy, can I go to the store to buy candy with Jesus?
No, my love. Go and play with your brothers.
Will you stay for a bit?
I'm leaving in two days.
Right after the funeral.
Well, that's a shame.
If you have time and want to stop by
the house, that'd be great.
Gerardo would be very happy to see you.
My love...
-Don't play like that. Please! -Mommy, it...
I've told you a thousand times!
Miss Janeth?
Yes?
My mom told me that we're hurting planet Earth a lot.
That's why I drew red lines.
What Brisa is saying is very true.
We're not taking good care of our planet. We're hurting animals and plants.
-What do we see in Brisa's drawing? -Monarchs!
And where do they come from?
Canada. Texas. Michoacán. Angangueo.
Monarchs have super vision and they can see us from very far.
Very good, Vicente!
(soft prayers)
(distant Mexican folklore music)
(metal clinking)
(door creaks open)
What are you doing?
I'm just... looking.
(door swinging closed)
There's nothing to see.
I live here with my family.
This is also my house.
You show up when you feel like it.
-Now you... -Don't start with that shit.
This is my house, Mendel!
I also lost my grandma.
(door flings open)
(loud prayers)
(deep sigh)
(steps forward)
-Goodbye. -See you soon.
Bye. Thank you for coming.
Bye, my dear.
Uncle, I'm getting married.
But you're still so young.
My boyfriend found a job in Toluca so...
we're moving there.
-When is it? -In December.
I want you to be my padrino.
(he exclaims)
What's your dad going to say?
Nothing.
You're my uncle.
-I'll try. -Yes, uncle, I want you to come.
(distant drilling)
(kiss)
Go back inside. I'm going to walk around.
I'll be back shortly.
(amplified indistinct voice)
Sing. Sing. Sing.
The butterfly skirt...
(girls laughing)
(cloth wing flapping)
Monarchs!
My favorite animal is the dog, but I don't want to be one.
A lion is better.
I want to be a fox 'cause I can't sleep at night.
Why not a monkey? It's the animal that looks most like us.
Yeah, but animals are stronger than humans.
I want to be a lion because they're stronger and smarter...
-Shh, Vicente! They're coming! -The wolf will eat us.
Wolf, wolf, are you there?
(roaring)
(Mexican folklore music)
Faster, faster, Fly... fly...
(children agitated)
Towards the trees...
Do you hear that? What's coming? The animals... run... hide.
(tires rolling)
(indistinct car radio)
You can rent it in pharmacies, supermarkets, perfume shops, natural remedy stores around the country...
(clicks radio off)
(car door shut closed)
(roosters crowing)
(firm handshake)
(patting shoulders)
What's up, Vicente?
-How are you? -Good.
Damn, dude, like five years?
(Vicente sniffs)
I follow you on Face...
But you never post anything, man.
Why didn't you come see Rosa?
I have my own way of saying goodbye to the dead.
Nice boots, bro.
(chuckling)
I'll trade them if you want.
(distant machinery)
What's the deal with that guy?
Who?
Your president.
What the hell! That guy's not my president.
Do I look orange to you?
Maybe a tad over here.
He thinks he offends us by calling us animals!
But we are!
(mimicking animal noises)
(snarling)
(howling)
(Vicente laughs)
Are you drunk, asshole?
I'm alive, asshole!
(Mendel laughs, coughs)
Remember when...
when we lit...
the fire with the Christmas tree?
(laughing)
We almost burnt the entire farm, asshole.
It was your fault, man.
You.
-It was your idea, dude! -No, it was all you.
Who comes up with that shit?
You like it over there?
I don't know.
(distant amplified announcement)
(solemn Mexican folklore music)
(town bustle)
Come try the pulque, ladies and gentlemen.
Good evening.
Thank you.
Don't forget your candles.
(men chanting in Spanish)
Grandma?
Are my parents going to eat from the ofrenda?
Yes, son. They're on the way.
Yeah, they're coming with all the dead
-and will devour you alive! -Stop that, Simón!
(soft singing)
You have an old soul.
-An old soul? -Yes.
Remember.
You're not weak.
You're strong.
Simón, calm down. Stop throwing rocks.
Come here.
Please.
(Simon sighs)
Let me help.
The first one here.
We need to leave the knives in the ground
and then count three, four steps, then stab the ground with a knife.
And like this, we'll outline five points.
-With a lighter. -Let's make sure the elements are in place.
Can you light it up with that?
All good with the coins?
How about the rocks? Yes?
Place the coins on the rocks...
There are seven piles.
One coin for each of
the seven points.
(clattering of precious stones)
(fire crackling)
We are gathered here today...
to remember someone who is no longer with us
in the way we've been used to.
This person will stay with us in many ways,
(knife scraping)
In our memories,
in the smells,
in the landscapes,
in the flesh, in the animals,
in the birds that hover in the sky,
in the ants that burrow the earth.
(soft blowing)
We are here together, united...
(louder blowing)
to continue the life cycle.
(throat singing)
(deep, gruff vocalizing)
(fire crackling)
(spitting)
(man blows loudly)
(boy panting)
(birds chirping)
Hurry.
Mendel. Run.
Wait up.
Open your eyes.
-What's that? -It's a mini-dinosaur.
(slimy crawl)
(faint groans)
It looks like it's laughing.
(human guttural growling)
It's not laughing. It just saw you and wants to eat you.
(high-pitch ticking)
(throat singing)
(fire crackling)
(mimicking animal sounds)
(grunting)
(hissing)
(howling)
(man barking)
(animal noises)
(deep rumbling)
Don't move.
(boy makes popping noise)
After the storm,
the flood,
the wind
shakes the trees
(boy making whooshing noise)
and the muertitas fall like dead leaves.
(boy blowing, metallic chime)
A few water droplets
can erase you
in an instant.
Help me. Help me.
I'm not dead.
That's how our parents died.
They couldn't breathe that long under water.
(subway trundling)
(brakes squealing)
(ghostly voices faintly howling)
(kids skateboarding)
(indistinct chatter in English)
(faint child scream)
(soft, indistinct remarks)
(scooping into plastic cup)
Have you guys been faking your laughs at all my jokes?
(laughter)
You have, huh?
Did you know about this?
(Mendel laughs)
So do you think this is a master regulator in a different species?
Yeah, well, actually, this is the Buckeye.
optix removed...
The orange is blue now.
So it is evolutionarily conserved, then?
Yeah.
Optix plays a role in wing evolution.
Black one's got kind of a heavy metal vibe, don't you think?
Like rejected artwork from In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida?
(group laughter)
In monarchs here, for example, at the border,
the white scales become wider.
(street noise and chatter)
Please help the homeless.
(door opens)
Santos.
How are you doing?
Good.
How are you?
-All good for now. -That's great.
Hope it stays that way.
(liquid pouring in a cup)
(opera-esque music)
(mechanical clicking)
(soft squelching, squirting)
(phone ringtone)
Yeah?
Hey, I called you like five times. Where are you?
Ah shit. Time flew by, dude.
Well, get your ass down here. We already ate but we're still here.
Lucía brought a cute friend. I told her about you. She wants to meet you...
Okay, well...
Send me the details and I'll be there soon.
(woman laughing, Latin music)
Thank you.
Careful... careful.
Coming through.
Don't we look like brothers?
Danish. Danish.
I'm the older one.
Obviously.
Yeah, with the beard, you know?
Do not pay attention to those Mexican assholes.
Where are you from?
I'm from Michoacán, a place called...
Hot land.
Yeah, it's not because of the climate.
Wait, so you are all scientists?
Yes, yes.
Biologists.
Pablo tries to figure out why fruit flies don't sleep,
and Mendel tries to understand why butterflies are so colorful.
That sounds way sexier than it actually is.
We spend most of the time looking through a microscope...
-Yeah... -at insects.
-Just like God. -Yeah.
-Like God, you know? -Whoa.
(laughter)
What about you?
I work for Human Rights Watch. Um, I'm a paralegal.
-Okay. -Mm-hm.
-Anyway, let's do these tequila shots. -Yeah.
No, no, no, but this is not tequila.
This is mezcal.
It's a little bit more fancy, you know?
-Too much blah blah blah. -And not enough gloo gloo gloo.
With the left! So it repeats...
-For CRISPR and the genetic revolution! -Genetics!
(gasp in unison)
No, no, no...!
-Take one, take one orange. -You sip on it.
If not, you're going to get drunk in two minutes, okay?
You kiss the mezcal.
-Easy going, easy going... -I'm fine.
(chuckling)
(singing in Spanish)
The one who sings is Colombian
and her name...
her name is Maria Raquel.
(Sarah laughs)
Look how my people dance.
(indistinct chatter)
How the band plays...
so we can keep having fun, so we can keep partying
till tomorrow.
Get ready.
(piano playing)
(piano sweep)
Oh no!
Salsa dancers!
(drum beat)
And as the chorus says...
Dance, dance the way Raquel does!
(laughter)
Sorry!
(soft, steady beeping)
(machine drone)
(beeping gets louder)
(industrial hum, screeching train)
(door creaks open)
And, ready, bend the knees.
Ready, hup!
There we go... back, forward, stretch!
Forward, back, forward... good.
Back, forward, stretch.
Forward, back, forward.
Legs behind.
Little arch.
This time, kick forward, backward, forward.
Good, hold it right there,
push the thigh into the bar, keep it steady.
Arch, arch, arch...
Good, all right, and bring it down.
Kick, forward, backward, forward. Hup!
Good, good.. all right... nice.
Um, watch when you're coming through.
We got people in the air.
-No street shoes inside, okay? -Sorry.
All right, Andy, you're up.
I had a friend who did trapeze for a couple of years,
and one day, I just went along with her and,
I don't know, I fell in love.
-That sounds really stupid. -No.
(airplane engine hum)
How would the world be like if a human being can fly?
Well, we'd definitely all have to wear helmets
all the time.
And you'd have to be a little concerned about
people peeing on you.
(they laugh)
Yeah, some people deserve it.
Yeah, I can think of a couple people who deserve it.
And we could fly over borders.
Yeah.
Hm.
And we could have weird, flying pets.
Like a moth.
(Sarah makes a fluttering sound)
(laughter)
Or an owl.
(Mendel hoots)
Yeah.
Hm.
Hm...
Maybe... I mean,
you need to learn
how to fly since your childhood, you know?
-Mm-hm. -Like walk and talk and...
Yeah.
You'd have to get a license, at some point.
Pass a test.
And if you broke the rules, you'd get grounded.
-Grounded? -Yeah, like, punished.
Like you wouldn't be able to leave the ground.
Hm.
And then you get...
you can smoke pot to fly again.
What?!
You don't have to get high to get high.
(laughter)
(distant rumble)
(passing car whoosh)
Mommy, help him!
Grab him!
Mommy, help him!
Grab him!
(distant siren)
(gushing water)
(violin staccato)
Help us. because we're drowning.
(wind gusting, siren wailing)
The water is coming into our houses.
Help us.
I am begging... for all the small children... For everyone here.
(heavy breathing)
(hollow wind)
Mom, come! Mom, please, no!
(water bubbling)
Mendel, come, climb up! Water is rising!
Hurry!
-Let's go. -Mom!
Climb up, Mendel!
(fast clapping)
(shriek)
(shower curtain squeak)
(shower running)
(distorted blowing)
(distorted snipping)
(hollow wind)
(tearing flesh)
(scissor snipping)
Hello, everybody, thank you.
Thanks for coming tonight,
thanks for coming tonight.
We're going to continue with more works
around the subject of othering,
as we do it to nature
as much as we do it to humans.
We believe that we live in a time where
social and environmental issues can't be really treated separately anymore.
With that, I would like to introduce you to Lucía Barreto from Venezuela.
(applause)
Did you hear about the wild cats in Texas?
I don't spend my time watching CNN.
Dude, about eight of them died.
They can't cross the border because of the highway and all the shit there.
And that asshole still wants a wall. What the fuck?
They don't get it.
They need to fuck with the Mexican cats to prevent inbreeding, dude.
It's obvious, dude.
But I do think abstraction is very powerful,
which is why I like to perform my research.
So I ask you:
What does it feel like to be a tree?
Can we dream like a tree?
Can we feel its pain while it's being poisoned
by acid rain?
Say goodbye to the lungs of our planet.
Education, human rights...
Quiet, please.
Shut up, dude.
(birds chirping)
(animal noises)
(performance music starts)
(quiet wing flapping)
(wings fluttering)
(human groans)
(distant humming and clapping)
Reach out with your right hand.
Here comes your bar.
Now grab on with your left hand.
What the fuck am I doing here?
-You got it. -All right, Mendel.
Nice and tall, tight on the takeoff.
Ready, bend your knees...
Fuck it.
And hup!
(metal screech)
Back, forward, stretch, forward, back.
Nice, nice, nice.
-Back, forward. -(net swish)
-Oh! -Yikes!
That's okay, darlin'.
Next!
(boy blowing, woman speaking)
So I became interested in the common Buckeye,
Junonia coenia,
because in the warm months, such as in the summer,
if you rear it in warm conditions and long day lengths,
it develops this tan color, as we see here.
But if we switch it to cold conditions and short-day lengths,
such as in the fall,
it becomes this dark red color.
(music begins, distorted howling)
I use CRISPR-Cas9 to modify the colors of butterfly wings.
Only a few pigment genes are necessary to change both color and structure of the scales.
Eliminating a control gene like optix explains evolution...
explains biodiversity.
CRISPR is really interesting to me,
and you're using CRISPR in your butterfly work.
Yes, okay, so quick overview to explain it.
One analogy that a lot of people use is that of a word processor,
and it gives us certain functions that are similar.
-Stop it! -Cut, copy, paste,
and the revolution in the technology
is that it gives us a cursor,
so we can pinpoint exactly the gene we want to work on.
And that has been revolutionary.
It's kind of scary, frankly, to me.
You know, I mean, I'm not anti-science,
but I see the Frankenstein future here, possibly.
But I think it's also important
to talk about the potential of the technology.
But there's also the fact that it means
down the line a generation,
two generations, ten generations later,
we've turned some of us into other creatures altogether.
Doesn't that...
It's a new technology, yes, there are risks.
We couldn't have left our cave without a risk.
(crowd laughter)
I get that,
and I get these interesting things you're doing with butterflies.
But beyond butterflies, it gets kind of scary, doesn't it?
So tell me.
What is all the hype about optix?
It's a DNA sequence.
It's a code.
It controls many aspects of the butterfly wing,
like shape, color, patterns.
So, if you change the sequence,
then you change the color?
Yeah, it may control many aspects.
You can change the color,
you can appear, disappear, new color,
or make the butterfly invisible.
How do you know which sequence controls that specific color?
Well, you don't really know.
You just have to turn it off and see what happens.
You know,
we know that your brain controls your finger.
Well, you can think of optix as your brain, your third eye.
(wind gushing)
(birds chirping)
Um...
I see something like... a scythe...
and a person with one foot.
A tree.
How about you watch while I kill them!
Fly!
(light switch click)
(faint sigh)
(opening wooden box)
(wooden box shuts)
(distant car honking)
-Hey, wanna go to the soccer field in a bit? -Yeah.
-What time? Around three? -Okay.
Hey, you can't come here.
What's going on? He wants ice cream.
No, he just can't be here.
No, Mendel!
I bet I can 'cause I have superpowers!
No, you can't go through!
This is only for grown ups. Mendel, no!
You can't come! It's forbidden.
(drone, loud snipping)
(fast wing flapping)
(water bubbling)
(distorted beep)
(plucking strings)
Don't move.
(boy softly blowing)
(eyelid beat)
This horrendous creature...
doesn't want to grow up,
doesn't want to grow old.
(splashing)
It doesn't know if it belongs on land or in water.
(humans hissing in unison)
It stayed frozen in time.
(string plucking)
(grunting)
It's all set, buddy.
Assistant Professor of Molecular Neurobiology Lab.
They gave me the job in Tucson.
The mecca of Drosophila research.
They called and told me...
they'd give me a start-up fund for the next three years.
Enough for a postdoc and a few rotating PhD students.
What?
(lab faint chatter)
That's great, man. Congrats.
(Mendel chuckles)
It's great.
The Tucson Fly Center is badass!
(Pablo exhales)
One hop and you're on the other side eating pork tacos.
You can stop complaining they're not good here.
It's not the Yankees, but I get the Diamondbacks.
Ah?
And Lucía?
She's happy...
but she is staying a bit longer, to finish up a few papers.
She'll join me after.
And you? What's new?
All good. With Bob, we're going to publish optix.
(elevator ring, footsteps)
I'm gonna miss you, brother.
(Mendel slurps, swallows)
And Sarah?
Good?
Do you get a hard-on when you're on the trapeze?
Yes or no?
You're an ass.
Go back to your shitty flies and let me work, dude.
(laughing)
(Pablo walks away)
(subway humming)
(subway rattling)
(distant traffic)
(distant chatter)
(water lapping)
(faint car horns)
(water crashing against rocks)
(kids playing far away)
(rhythmic ticking)
Mommy, help him!
Grab him!
(water splashing)
Help him!
Please! To everyone who can see us from other states.
Help us, because we're drowning.
The mines were filled up with water.
And then it burst.
The water was coming, coming, and coming,
in the streets,
into the houses.
The walls were cracking.
The river was howling.
(car honks)
I don't really remember what happened.
Some flashes, sensations.
I remember the screams.
(faint drone)
I lost my parents, I...
lost my home.
I'm so sorry.
Even if we share that horrible nightmare,
my brother and I.
In a way... we survived, I mean...
but in a way...
the river took a part of him away.
(cars honking)
And... part of me too.
(distant city traffic)
(city white noise)
(footsteps)
Hi Mendel, how are you?
It's Lupita, your sister-in-law.
I figure you must be really busy with your research
because we haven't heard from you in a while.
I'm sending you this message because Gaby is getting married soon.
We're really happy. Don Gabino is even remodeling the hotel for the party.
I know about your issues with Simón.
If he finds out that I reached out, he'll be upset.
I hope you can make it.
It wouldn't be the same without you.
We're family, no?
(Mendel softly exhales)
(phone ringing)
Hi, this is Pablo Quintero...
Hello? C'mon, man.
Molecular Biology at the University of Arizona.
You know what to do.
(voicemail beeps)
Please call me back, bro.
Congratulations.
Proof for your family, if they needed any more.
(Bob exhales)
One gene down, only 30,000 to go.
Now, we're gonna map the entire wing.
Yeah.
(distant lab noises)
That's all you got?
Yeah.
-Yeah... -What's wrong?
I don't wanna talk about it.
Okay.
(wheels chair over)
All right.
So, tell me.
What's wrong? You don't like the cover art? What?
No.
It's okay.
It's fine.
It's not okay.
This is what you came here to do.
And you did it.
You gotta accept that and you gotta honor it and you gotta celebrate it.
This is you.
(lab equipment rattling)
(distant traffic)
A word to the wise.
(pats shoulder)
(footsteps)
(test tubes spinning)
(Mendel sighs)
(piano music begins)
(roosters crowing)
(crunchy squish)
(sprinkling water)
Wow. What is that?
(grandma chuckles)
It's called grana cochinilla.
Uh-hum.
-It looks like blood. -Yes.
But it's not.
(amused sigh)
(plastic lid clattering)
(sigh)
(footsteps)
(heavy door clicks, screeches open)
(plastic Petri dish tapping)
(wing rustling)
(distant traffic)
(fluttering)
Imagine painting a butterfly with numbers.
(slicing)
The coloring instructions are written in the genetic code.
Paint number two... red.
Paint number one... black.
(scraping)
A cascade effect on color and pattern.
(metallic clinking)
The pigments and the delicate butterfly scales fuse together
creating a mosaic of colors and patterns.
This helps the insect hide or attract partners.
(liquid suction)
Is everything okay? I haven't heard from you in a while.
You seem distant.
Well, I was hoping to reach you, but, uh, anyway...
(door swings open)
(laughs)
-This is your first tattoo, isn't it? -Yeah, it is.
Yeah, I can tell, man.
Look, I'll tell you what, why don't you look at some of my work,
And let me pull some references up, all right?
-Okay, good. -Have a seat. Go ahead.
What kind of work do you do, man?
Uh, I am scientist.
-Yeah? -Yeah.
What kind of science?
-Biology. -Biology.
Hey, man, did you hear that story about, um, what the fuck are they doing.
Doing something crazy, trying to put, like,
dinosaurs with chickens or some shit?
Oh yeah, the guy from Harvard.
Yeah, yeah...
They're trying to make these little fuckin' chicken raptors.
It's crazy, man. You've seen Jurassic Park, no?
They're all gonna die, man.
They're fuckin' nuts.
(laughs)
We're gonna start from, uh, yeah,
from the shoulder up down to the wrist, okay?
Okay.
Just gonna take a loose measurement.
Just gonna go around your shoulder and take it down to the wrist just like that.
(marker on crumpling tracing paper)
(cars passing by)
That'll do it.
So, from there I can kind of plot out where we're gonna put everything.
I know it looks crazy, but we'll size it up and I'll be able to mock it up for you, okay?
-Okay, good. -Yeah, man.
She crossed over the border illegally through Texas with her three kids.
And, of course, they caught her and they took her into custody.
And then they separated her from her kids,
and the kids have been in New York City for three weeks without their mother.
And we've been trying to talk to them through the social worker.
How does it make you feel?
Terrible.
I mean, doing this job?
How do you feel?
(Sarah sniffles)
I feel good, but that's not the point.
(Sarah inhales)
I'm sorry, I'm confused.
You're acting like you know better.
Actually, I know better.
Yeah, of course you do.
(restaurant chatter)
What's going on with you?
What's going on with what?
I haven't heard from you till today.
You showed up with this tattoo that you didn't even tell me about.
And what's wrong with that?
Nothing's wrong, it's just weird.
It's not weird.
Okay, it's not weird.
(Mendel sips, sighs)
(distant piano, keys clinking)
(clears throat)
(door unlocking)
(door creaks open)
(putting keys down)
(door shuts closed)
(distant traffic humming)
(hand touches glass)
(crackling fire)
(wind gushes)
(water swirls)
(bubbling liquid)
(faint drone)
(hand hits glass)
(crackling)
(fast melodic chords)
(water lapping)
(snapping twigs)
When the monarchs arrive to Lake Superior, they don't cross it directly.
They take a little detour in the middle of the lake
and then they continue their journey south.
As if there was something in the middle. Something...
that prevented them from going further.
An obstacle.
They say that in the middle of the lake, there once existed a mountain.
One of the highest in North America.
The mountain is no longer there but the butterflies still remember it.
(owl hoots)
(fire crackling)
(rhythm accelerates)
(metal coin on rock)
(violin crescendo)
(water trickling)
(howling)
(distant animal callings)
(Mendel shouts)
(scream reverberates)
(Mendel grunts)
(grunting)
(nocturnal trilling)
(grunts)
(panting)
(soft fluttering)
Grandma?
How old is the forest?
One million years, more or less.
(wind howling)
(wing fragments shuffling)
(wind swirls)
(liquid suction)
(wing flapping)
(liquid ejecting)
(plastic tip snapping in)
(chair rolls, Mendel sniffs)
(string chords)
(plastic cap snaps closed)
And how can an animal like that create that color?
Well, it's like magic.
The grana cochinilla symbolized the rays of the sun and fire.
(roaring fire)
People still paint with it.
(plastic lid drops)
(latex glove stretches, Mendel sniffs)
(wind tunnel)
(pressing down, squirting liquid)
(knob turns)
(Mendel breathes heavily)
(sucks finger)
(subway rattling)
(distant night traffic)
-What'd you say you called it again? -Ommochrome.
Ommochrome.
And you're sure... you want to put this in your skin?
Yeah, I'm sure.
Okay, man.
As long as you sign that waiver, I'm down.
(chuckles)
You will definitely be the first client of mine to have butterfly ink.
Ready?
(tattoo gun buzzing)
Yeah.
Let's get some color on you.
All right, man, let's do it.
(tattoo gun buzz)
It's not that bad, right?
No.
(chuckles)
(eerie music begins)
(water gushing)
(eerie melodic rumble)
(swirls, hollow vacuum)
(Mendel hisses)
(heavy wind blowing)
(crackling)
(metallic chime)
(whooshes of metal, water, fire and wind)
(cocoon cracks open)
(scissors cutting, Mendel panting)
(creasing plastic wrap)
(metal squeak)
(slimy skin)
(chair rolls)
(fizzing liquid)
(water trickling)
(water running)
(Mendel sighs)
(sighs again)
(paper shuffling)
(Mendel sips, swallows)
(paper creasing)
We met, danced, went for a picnic, kissed, went north and on December 21, 2019, we're getting married.
(siren wailing)
(envelope drop)
(heavy sigh)
(distant construction noise)
(deep rumbling)
(waves roaring)
(soft rattling)
(animal groans)
(fire crackling)
(bubbly solution)
(animal howling)
(gear clinking)
All right, Sarah, tall on this take-off, all right?
Not into the bar.
Here we go, all right.
Manny, layout.
Ready.
Hup!
Hey!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a layout catch.
(wind blowing)
(faint city traffic)
Can you see the rabbit in the moon?
Yeah.
(laughter, cars passing)
Do you know the legend?
Mm-mm.
Me neither.
(laughter, wind swirls)
Everybody in Mexico can see the rabbit.
And when you are a child, people talk about it.
And when I ask the people from other parts of the world,
they can't see it, just the Mexicans.
(cosmic wind swirls)
By the way, Mexico means the belly button of the moon.
We have a connection, special connection with the moon.
(Sarah chuckles)
(distant horn blares)
(kiss)
(airplane humming above)
(dogs barking far away)
A few years ago...
A storm froze about six or seven million butterflies in my town of Angangueo.
Many died
but a few survived like true monarchs.
The first ray of sun touched them
and they began to melt.
We helped a few with our breath. They came back to life
and flew once again.
(distant dog barking)
(faint music)
(children playing)
(leaves rustling)
(distant shouting)
(swooping wind)
(wind chimes)
What would the future look like if we could fly?
I don't know... but can you imagine how much intelligence we would need to do that?
-Maybe by like 2023? -Right.
So how about... when we get to grandma's...
we put glasses on the table and we shoot them with bows.
(truck rumbling)
(dog barking)
(hurried footsteps)
-Let me help you. -Leave it!
Paco, bring the rest.
(steam whistle)
Hi uncle.
How are you?
Alright.
Good.
(chair rattling)
You know what your shirt says?
Umm, no...
That your feet stink.
(chuckles)
I'm joking.
How do you feel about your sister getting married?
Pretty cool. They're moving to Toluca.
(Mendel snickers)
You also want to go to Toluca?
I want to study in Mexico City.
Like you.
I want to go to the Supernova.
What's that?
It's the best music school in Mexico City.
For me... music is a way of being.
It's another life.
My dad says no.
He thinks music isn't a real career.
But... I want to leave...
and maybe I can drop by to see you in New York.
Sure.
You're always welcomed.
(distant voices)
You're very different from dad.
How so?
Well... I don't know.
You just are.
Look at you.
(Mendel chuckles, steam whistle)
When I was a kid, I admired your dad a lot.
I wanted to be like him.
He was my hero.
He taught me how to ride a horse, bareback.
He taught me how to ride a bike.
So?
Should I bring you coffee or what?
Come on.
(chair rattling)
(sliding table)
(sigh)
Don't continue putting ideas in his head.
(table hits the floor)
I didn't.
Your kids want to fly, dude.
That's not your problem.
(neighing horse)
We're from the same blood.
I don't want to argue.
Well... things aren't that easy.
No, they're not easy. They'll never be.
You don't get it.
You're my brother!
Mendel. I live here.
You weren't here when we didn't have work, when we didn't have enough to feed your nephews.
I spent two years without work.
And you? With your high life over there.
You don't even have the balls to have your own family. Now you come, judge.
I stayed! You left.
(Mendel whimpers)
I left with all the demons that you put inside me.
And me!?
I stayed in the house where it all happened!
I don't even remember what happened that night!
All my memories are the ones you put in my head.
(breathes heavily)
(exhales slowly)
The mine filled up with water.
That shit exploded.
A ton of people died, dude.
And you still go to that shitty place to work every day. Come on, man...
Don't fuck with me!
You have no idea what you're talking about!
(heavy sighs)
(swallows)
Good that you can't remember 'cause I do.
I saved you.
You were drowning in your room.
I managed to get in.
I took you upstairs. And I didn't let go of you all night
while the water kept rising.
(Mendel cries softly)
Why didn't you ever tell me?
Because you don't get it!
'Cause you don't live here.
(footsteps approaching)
(Mendel sniffs)
What's going on here?
Nothing, uncle.
The tables. The tablecloths are ready.
(distant fanfare)
Let's hurry 'cause it's getting late.
Thank you.
(footsteps)
(amplified town announcement)
No, well, you aimed high.
Not like my people.
Did you find a cure for death?
I'm on it.
Or rather the origin of life, my son.
That's the idea.
But he's not finding anything.
(laughter)
Well, he's following his father's dreams to make the world a better place.
Right?
My uncle told me you had a revelation, madrina.
Ah! You're going to laugh at me. Why do you...
Wait and see. Look.
All this time seeing this magazine in the kiosk
until I decided to buy it.
Look what it says here.
Just look.
(faint town bustle)
That name of yours finally makes sense.
-My namesake. -I understand why your dad insisted so much.
This scientist...
of genetics.
And the articles are good.
The name always seemed so strange to me.
But when you were a boy I never dared to ask.
I learned a lot of things...
Right here. About life... and death.
Look.
(butterflies fluttering)
(birds chirping)
The legend says that a nagual is your soulmate, is your animal spirit.
Mm.
And some people can transform themselves into the animal,
like dogs or cats or whatever.
And when I was a child, I pretend to be an animal, a bear.
-A bear? -My friend, Vicente,
pretended to be a lion.
And we'd play here in this forest.
(footsteps on dirt road)
Chasing each other.
Ruling the land.
So, are you like lord of all this land?
Yes, I am.
-Hot land -I'm the lord of this.
Yeah.
(laughing)
(birds chirping, wing flutter)
Thank you for bringing me here.
Thank you for coming.
(kiss)
They say that in the Day of the Dead in Mexico,
the butterflies arrive to Angangueo
and they are the soul of our relatives.
(children playing, folklore music)
(crowd cheering)
Kiss! Kiss!
(chanting continues)
(trio band playing, singing)
One more! One more!
(clapping)
(faint reverberating cacophony)
The animals are stronger than humans.
I prefer being a lion 'cause they're stronger and smarter--
Shhh... Vicente, they're coming.
(chatter echo, singing)
Wolf, wolf... Are you there?
(shouting)
(Mexican folklore music)
(kids laughing, playing)
(roaring)
(growling)
(crowd applause)
(rooster crowing)
Tell me, doctor...
What would happen if you combine human and animal genes?
And why would we do that?
(Mendel laughs)
Why do you want to know?
I'm interested in my DNA.
The other day, I spit into a tube...
to know the percentage of Neanderthal in me.
The average is 2.7%.
I have 2.6%.
I would have guessed at least 8%.
(laughs)
(drawer opens, keys jangle)
(footsteps on dried leaves)
(distant swirling wind)
Dust we are...
and to dust we shall return.
(Vicente sighs)
(deep rumbling)
(owl hooting, wind howls)
(dusk creature orchestra)
(coin tapping)
(fire crackling)
(owl hooting)
(rhythmic strings chords)
(nocturnal animals)
Thousands of years ago, the Native American Indians decided to travel south.
The journey was very long and tiresome.
There was a lot of suffering.
So they decided to leave behind the elders and the children
next to a few trees that would protect them.
They were very sad
so God came closer to console them.
"Don't cry anymore."
He turned them into butterflies so they could join their families, who were waiting for them with open arms.
(agitated bird and other creatures)
(woman exhales)
(human and animal sounds)
(jaguar roars)
(wings fluttering)
(fire roaring)
(animal snarling, nocturnal bird cries)
(animal orchestra)
Son of Monarchs
(nostalgic violin chords)
(trio band plays)
Here we are, in the Sierra Chincua Sanctuary, in the municipality of Angangueo.
My name is Francisco Ambrosio Martinez.
Born in Cerro Prieto.
I am going to sing a song about the little monarch.
(guitar strings)
This is the little buttterfly coming from Canada.
It has been crossing borders before arriving to Michoacán.