Inocente (2012) - full transcript

This is kind of weird.

[laughs]

Okay.

I'm thinking.

Dear people of the world.

Hmmm.

I'm not just a girl.

I'm a girl who likes to jump
in puddles and likes flowers.

Just because I'm homeless
doesn't mean I don't have a life,

because I do have a life.

[music]



When I paint I feel happy, so...

in the morning it's a
good way to start my mornings...

just paint on something, and what
better place than my face.

When I put my makeup on

and dress how I dress

and I get out there, I feel confident,

although I'm a really shy person.

If people knew my story,
they'd probably think that

I should be painting
dark pictures or dark paintings.

With your poetry, we are going to be
splitting you guys up into 3 different groups.

Every student is to present today,
every student has to...

Kids at my school don't
know that I'm homeless.

If people would found out,
they'd probably make fun of me,

especially at the school
I'm going to right now.



Most of the kids are, like, really rich,
with their iPod Touches, and stuff.

So it's pretty sucky
that I can't tell my friends.

It's like keeping a secret.

My name is Inocente, I'm 15-years old
and I live in San Diego, California.

Hi.

Good morning.

I pretty much grew up homeless.

I've never really had
something to call home.

Being homeless doesn't mean
you wake up on the street every day.

It means always moving
between shelters,

friends' houses, and apartments
that you get evicted from.

Nothing ever feels like home.

Nobody wants to be homeless.

Nobody... it doesn't even
come across anybody's mind.

You know, "In five years
I'd like to be homeless."

Nobody thinks about that.

I've lived in about every shelter
in San Diego...

The Salvation Army, the YMCA, Cortez Hill,
St. Vincent De Paul, the Rescue Mission.

We slept here, me and
my three little brothers.

My mom stayed awake and watched
that nobody came near us.

I don't think children should
have to wake up in a park...

and from that park, go to school.

That's not a childhood.

I didn't really have a childhood.

[laughter] Go right here... yay!

I think my life depends on
me being an artist.

I think if I don't become an artist,

I probably... not just
let everyone down, but

mostly let myself down.

There's three canvases, okay?
I'm the one in the middle

and the two guys next to me
have already started

and they're super good,
and I'm just like here.

[sobbing laughter]

... gonna to cry so much.

You see this guy? You see this guy?
You see this?

[music]

When I paint, I like to see
things from my imagination...

like weird creatures or colors.

And out there in the world

usually things aren't very colorful.

So maybe if they were
a little bit more colorful,

they'd make people
just a little bit more happy.

[family speaking Spanish]

Where we live now,
it's like a really small garage.

We're like, crammed in there.

My mom pays rent,
but we're illegal.

So it's just a matter of time before
she can't make enough money

and we'll get kicked out
and move again.

[Spanish]

[Spanish]

I always wonder how it'd be

to not have to worry
about the money or...

if we're gonna move out of there.

I wonder how it'd be, like,
to have my own room.

I can't blame my mom
for us being homeless.

I blame myself,

but it was just a simple mistake,

and that's what started it all.

My dad, I don't really think you could
call him a dad.

It is hard to describe how
he looked when he was angry.

It's like a bad dream.

He used to hit us pretty bad.

He'd hit us with the cable
from the vacuum cleaner...

with a tree branch...

he'd find anything
and he'd hit us with it.

It was always bad, but there was one
night where it was really bad.

My dad came home from
wherever he was.

He told me to go tell my mom
that he wanted dinner.

And I completely forgot,
got distracted,

and started playing
by the fridge with little toys.

He was really upset that I didn't
tell my mom,

so he started
beating me pretty badly

to the extreme that
it was just unbearable.

My mom got scared that
he'd probably kill me, so...

... she got in the way and...

that pissed him off
a little bit more.

I thought they were
going to kill each other.

She called the police and my dad
took the phone away, and...

... he broke it on her head.

My mom took me
and my two brothers...

We just ran -

It was dark and it was cold.

The police came and took my dad.

They deported him back to Mexico.

That night we started
our journey to being homeless.

No matter how many people
tell me that it's not my fault,

I still feel like it's my fault.

I felt like giving up
many times in the past...

to the point of suicide.

But I'm still waiting
for that one day...

that will change my life.

[music]

I recently did this big canvas
and I named it "The Lost Planet."

And in this planet's where
all the lost dreams go.

I got a childhood dream of being,
say, a fairy or something.

And as you grow up, you mature,
and you lose those dreams.

So The Lost Planet's where
all those lost dreams go.

♪ ♪

I have been doing art
ever since I was really little.

And then, like, three years ago,
I was introduced to A.R.T.S.

It is a place where kids
come take classes,

like, homeless kids,
kids who are in group homes.

Everybody there is basically a family.

- This is going to be your show notebook.
- Show notebook.

- Here's your show pen.
- Show pen. [giggles]

Matty and Rob saw potential in me
when nobody else did.

- It's kinda scary.
- Is it scary?

- Kind of.
- You love it.

- You know how to create the art.
- Yes.

That's one step,
That's about, maybe 5 or 6 steps in.

This is a big deal to me.

It's my first art show

and probably the biggest thing
I've done as an artist.

... thinking about doing
some sort of 3D piece.

- Yeah.
- Maybe some sculpture?

- It's a lot of work, how to do a show, huh?
- Yeah.

You're gonna have to come with
a production schedule.

Rob's going to be
your production manager.

[music]

Uh, that's nasty.

[Matt] Most adults couldn't handle
what she's been through.

She's struggling with
her past holding onto her,

and this is her first show

and first opportunity
to show the world

who she is
and where she's come from

and to prove to herself
that she's on the right path in life.

She's gonna be a star.

And I don't even think
she's aware of how special she is.

Matt has mentioned to me that
there's about 200 people expected

so I'm really nervous,

I've never had to make
this much art in my life

and I don't know if my art
is good enough maybe?

[music]

I gave my mom an invitation
for my art show,

but I don't know if she's coming.

I wish me and my mom
had a better relationship.

I wish she could
understand me better.

[music]

[music]

If they could only see...

The colors I carry with me
are the colors of life.

My love for art is endless,

and endless is my joy to share with you
my passion for life and its colors.

Why can't you love me for who I am
and play with me in the colors of life?

♪ ♪

I think I'm able to wake up
positive every day because...

... every day is a new day, and it's
on you to make that day good.

'Cause if you wake up negative

or upset or angry, your day
would probably be pretty bad.

I feel the most free when
I go to places all by myself,

where there's not that many people

and I know nobody's gonna
come bother me.

I like to look out the window
and just dream and imagine...

What if the trees could talk?

Or the people had super powers?

Just...

What if we could walk the clouds
and ride the shooting stars?

But it's just a dream.

I have a lot of impossible dreams,
but I still dream 'em.

[music]

Everyone says that
when you're older, you'll see

how things really were

And...

I don't know...

I don't know if I'll be able
to forgive her.

For the last time, I let my
mom lay a hand on me.

We had a pretty bad fight, and...

I just
decided that...

she's not allowed
to do that to me anymore.

I'm not a little kid anymore.

I can make my own decisions now.

I told my mom, I want to
move to Toussaint.

Toussaint's different from a shelter,

because it's more about teenagers,
by themselves,

and shelters are for families.

It's really hard to get into.

Living together right now is not
working, correct?

There's lots of stress.

If Inocente just runs away,
that's not good - to live on the street.

We don't want that,
nobody wants that.

Foster care...

I don't think that's good either,
for a lot of different reasons,

You're still a family.

Toussaint Academy enables her
to go live someplace,

relieve the stress, and
still have a relationship.

Inocente is very anxious to do
what's right for her

and for the whole family
and not to just leave altogether.

Would you give her that chance?

Are you okay?

She need to go for...,

because it's too very, very stressful for
she live right here, and two little brothers.

[laughs]

[mellow folk music]

It takes days
for everything to get ready.

Sometimes we stay at A.R.T.S,
me, Rob, and Matt...

... till like, 10, because
we have to get everything ready.

Rob, why aren't you helping?
It's a two-ton cow.

[laughter]

- Yeah.
- All right.

♪ ♪

I think it's really important
for me see my paintings,

because some
of them do hold a story.

People should know there's
a story, it's not just a painting.

♪ ♪

[tense music]

♪ ♪

If you want your dreams to come true,
you have to make them come true.

It's Inocente's brand they're buying.

We need that
big, bold signature on that.

I'd like to welcome you all here tonight,
If I could have your attention please.

I'd like to thank you all
for coming here tonight...

and celebrating
and supporting Inocente -

our artist and the woman
of the evening.

You can come up here now.

[cheers, applause]

I'll bring it down -
hold on.

Inocente has worked incredibly hard

to put the show together
so I'd like to give her some flowers.

[crowd: awww]

Here, let me... hold on.

Hello.

- Hi!

I just want to thank everybody here
for coming...

... and A.R.T.S. who've been
supporting me throughout,

so I'm thankful,

and thank you all
for coming, enjoy.

... and take some candy!

[cheering]

You are wonderful -
wonderful day for you!

Congratulations!

Beautiful, yeah - the pelican's gorgeous
with the wings spread and all the detail.

Thank you!

Beautiful composition.

Of all the art galleries in San Diego,

this many people
are coming here tonight

to see a 15-year-old girl's work.

Great colors, great imagery,

and what she does with the paintbrush
is really remarkable.

Oh, and you have to see my candy bar.

[laughter, crowd noises]

[laughter]

[music]

[inaudible]

Okay, one more time,
one, two, three...

[laughs]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

I never sold so many paintings.

I raised $12,000 for A.R.T.S.
and my college fund.

And it was nice to see
that people I don't even know

enjoy my artwork.

I think it's pretty cool.

[dog barking]

Bye, dog.

[music]

I have too many dreams -
I can't tell you all of them.

If you couldn't dream,
it's like not having a purpose.

So when you dream it's like
you want to get that dream accomplished.

So if you can't dream...

there's nothing to live for.

♪ ♪

I wouldn't change anything
that's happened to me in the past,

because I think in the end,
it's made me who I am.

I keep having this dream...

it feels so real,
and it's pretty crazy.

I remember
being on the beach, and...

it was really, really hot,
but I like the hot.

And I'm pregnant
and I'm with my husband.

I don't have a husband...

but in my dream, I knew
he was my husband because

I could feel that he loved me.

I walked to the ocean

and I realized that my husband
tied a string around my wrist.

In case I got scared,
he would pull me back.

It was a really, really pretty,
like clear blue...

like pool water blue.

Then this really big, beautiful whale
comes swimming towards me.

It was scary, but for
some reason, I felt really safe.

I don't turn back...

Its huge body
moves right past me...

and disappears into the deep blue.

And I'm okay.

♪ ♪

[laughter]

See, that's silly.

If I didn't have silly dreams,

I'd be totally, totally depressed,

'Cause although those dreams
are silly, they're like...

they're fun, and...

just imagining
how would it be like -

it's pretty exciting.

subtitles: Iladi Elladi