HANDS  OF  FATE

Synopsis

                                   By: Mark Vasconcellos                                       

Log Line:  An East L.A. Hispanic boy on the cusp of being swallowed up by gang life finds hope, courage and strength to turn his negative situation into a positive one for himself and his community.

            Alex Cano (14) lives with his older sister Maria (32) in the barrio of East Los Angeles.  Due to lack of supervision, parental guidance and Alex’s misplaced admiration for his cousin Hector’s (24) gang, Alex’s perception of what is really important in his life and where he should be focusing his energy, goes awry.

Maria’s boyfriend, David Archer (36) a photo journalist discovers that Alex is partially illiterate, failing school and involved in with a gang.  Alex and David make an agreement to help each other.  David offers to help Alex improve his reading skills and not tell Maria about Alex’s gang involvement in exchange for access to photo-document the lifestyle and activities of Hector’s gang.  While photographing gang parties, tattooing, initiations, tagging and even a drive by shooting, David begins to realize he must warn Alex of the gang’s dead end lifestyle and it’s dangers.

Alex pays no attention to David and Maria’s warnings and is drawn deeper and deeper into gang life and starts to loose touch with reality and those closest to him. Even after Hector is killed in a shooting and Alex himself ends up in jail for a botched robbery attempt nothing seems to alter Alex’s beliefs, but while in jail, Alex experiences an epiphany and begins to see where his troubled life is taking him.

Alex realizes that his fate lies in his own hands and that he has an opportunity to help himself and others kids like himself in his community by turning the local abandoned lot that is embattled gang territory, into a communal sports park.  His plans are foiled several times by a rival gang, but with the help of David, Maria, friends, and Alex’s sharp thinking, Alex gains the support of the community, and the Mayor of Los Angeles.  The sports park is finally opened and Alex dedicates it to his fallen cousin Hector and turns his dead end situation into a true success story.