Libre De Reir (2023–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - El Show Final (The Final Show) - full transcript

I think it's one of the toughest
things I've done.

It's hard to teach stand-up comedy

to people who have never seen it.

And hearing their tragedies
was even harder.

Not taking it personally was harder still.

We saw it had potential...

It's tough!

From the beginning, I saw them as students
rather than criminals.

But now, I've truly grown
really fond of them.

That's what I take from this,
that I made friends.

This one here.



Now it's time to decide who will perform.

Let's see how they do.
I wish them all good luck.

LAUGHING ON THE INSIDE

GRADUATION FINALISTS

Those chosen are...

Aída.

We'll go to the theater, God willing.
I'm so nervous.

But it's great.
It's more experience on stage.

Leslie.

I see myself performing
as an empowered, fierce woman,

a total she-wolf.

This criminal had the courage
to quit fucking drugs,

to stop acting like a fool,
and look what she's achieved.

Honda.



This is a very nice experience
for all of us.

So we really want to give
something back to all of you.

Gaby.

I am overwhelmed with happiness and joy.

Alberto.

-Fuck yeah!
-Jaqueline.

Getting this far

makes me want to go the extra mile.

Orlando.

Bring your pills, please.

Noé.

I never thought I'd perform on stage.

I don't know how many people
will be there.

I wonder if I'll get emotional and cry.

-Nancy.
-Thank you.

We brought laughter to people, some
of whom have not had a visitor in years,

and they told me,
"Thank you for making us laugh.

"You took us out of our isolation."

"I'm so glad you thought about us,

"because no one cares about women."

Tiara.

I have no words to express what I feel.

I didn't think I'd get picked.

Roque.

I never thought I would experience this.

I feel more liberated.

We'll try to take you all
to see your classmates.

The ones in the back,
we'll miss you a lot.

I'm really proud of you.
I have nothing more to say.

Thanks to the audience, and thank you all.

I was hoping I'd get picked
to go out and perform,

but I think my material

is mostly about what happens in prison,

and it'd be hard for people
out there to understand it.

I believe everything happens for a reason.

It wasn't meant to be this time.

I don't wish them good luck,
I wish them success.

Seeing them perform on stage
will be incredible.

2 DAYS
BEFORE THE SHOW

This is a present for Sofía.

-Nice!
-Very good.

-Are you nervous?
-Take a look.

It's amazing.

-It's so nice.
-So...

Look, it has our sketches.

Here's Nancy Polanco and her platforms.

Let me see.

-Rain...
-Wow.

-Aída.
-Barney, and conjugal visits...

-The hanky-panky.
-Foreplay's allowed.

Look at the hanky-panky.

And the cleaning crew is here.

-Right here.
-Look.

-Is this a timeline?
-Yeah.

It represents our time in here.

-It's beautiful.
-Do you like it?

-Of course.
-It's very nice.

I'll wear it for the show.

In the evening? No.

-But I love it, Aída.
-I'll say you made this part here.

Why butterflies?

-They represent freedom.
-Freedom.

Aída's outfit was
the perfect end to all of this.

I felt like I was wearing
the whole workshop.

I'm nervous about the show,

but for their sake.
I want them to do well.

I'm worried they might not be relaxed.

But I can't do anything.
I only have control of the order

and keeping the energy up,

but the rest is up to them.

THE DAY OF THE SHOW

I'm really seeing prison in a new light.

It doesn't look so fatalistic now.

It's strange.

I feel as if someone told me
I'd be a millionaire for a night.

I'll have to enjoy it, then.

I feel vulnerable in society.

It's a fear I have, but it's a good thing.

I've been working on it.

I'll slowly get rid of that fear.

I'm proud of myself.
It's a feeling of satisfaction.

It's pleasurable.

Let's turn our tears and pain
into laughter for a little while.

Going out, seeing different people,

seeing the sunshine,
not only from behind bars,

fills me with excitement, with joy.

PENITENTIARY
SECURITY

We'll get away from reality
for a moment, for a few hours,

or one hour, whatever.

The key is to enjoy it to the fullest.

I saw how excited Roque was,
and I asked him, "How does it feel

"to see the city in this different way?

"Because it's live,
you're not seeing it on TV, on the news.

"And seeing it in person,
even through glass, is not the same."

And he said, "If I set one foot outside,
I'll be happy."

It's marvelous, magical.

After being locked up for so long,

when you see the street, the cars...
Even the smell of gas...

It's the outside world, right?
It's different.

It's hard, because after a while,
you'd rather not think about the outside

because it's out of reach.

And when we were in the police van,

they let us see through a slit.

We saw a food stand,
people walking by it...

things you forget about
when you're in prison.

It feels different.

Even the sun is different.
The heat is different.

SOFÍA NIÑO DE RIVERA
AND GUESTS

MEXICO CITY
MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY

The adrenaline here is wild.

It's been years since
I've cried tears of happiness.

My heart is racing

and I feel a lump in my throat.

I'm scared shitless.

They took me from behind bars.

There are no guards, no blue clothes.

It's a roller coaster of emotions.

I hadn't worn black

in 18 years.

Okay, are you ready?

-I'm so excited!
-Goes without saying.

Please welcome Sofía Niño de Rivera.

How are you?

Great!

Who is sweating from places
you didn't know could sweat?

Everybody? Of course.
We all feel the same way.

We're in the third world.
If this were New York,

we'd have AC. But it's not.

And we really want you
to have the true prison experience.

I know what it feels like
when you're about to go on stage

and try new material

in front of an audience. I know all that.

So, I knew how they felt.

And at the same time, I didn't.
Because they came from prison.

They're exposing themselves
to an unknown world.

It was great to see them there,
waiting for their turn

and supporting each other.
Women, men, LGBT...

even though they didn't know each other.

So it was incredible, that expectation.

They're pretty nervous.

Even more than when
they were caught. Trust me.

It was an incredible experience

because as time went by,
I made friends in there.

And I became drunk with power.
I went around saying,

"I have friends in prison, man."

Roque, Honda, Chucky.

I'm not afraid of anything anymore.

If someone tries anything,
I'll go, "I'm sending Rocky."

Rocky. I mixed up Roque and Chucky.
Sorry. They're back there.

And there were problems
I never could have imagined.

For example, one of my students

was going to make a joke
about the Mataviejitas,

because that was her cellmate.

She was 65 when they paired them up.

Yes, our justice system is a bitch.

But I think it was like a test
to see if she was over it.

"Let's see if she's cured."
So, in the workshop,

she was going to make a joke about that,

and she told me one day, "I'm worried.
I bought some tacos from Juana..."

Juana is the serial killer.

"And she told me she'd heard
someone in the workshop

"had been talking about her."

And I gasped.

I know, it's pretty dramatic.

So, she told her, "No way! Who?

"I don't think so." But it was her.

"No, that's strange.
I haven't heard anything.

"Who told you?"

And Juana says, "Araceli told me." Araceli

is another Mataviejitas,

because there are two.

I said, "How strange that they get along

"because they're like rivals."

It's good there's healthy competition
inside prison.

We had those kinds of issues.

That's one of the stories
you'll be hearing about tonight.

I'm going to introduce
our first comedian. Ready?

Yes!

We need more excitement.

I feel I need more.

Exactly.

Imagine it's your first time on stage,

and you're coming from prison. You need
more enthusiasm not to shit your pants!

I give you Alberto!

What's up? Good evening!

This is crazy, man. What a lovely place.

Sorry, but I have the same problem
with nerves and with men.

I've never been able to control them.

Thank you so much for coming to see

the stand-up show of a sick person.

I don't have cancer, I'm just bald.

ALBERTO'S FAMILY

-Bravo!
-Bravo!

I'm HIV positive.

What a shame, you went from
pity to disgust in a second.

My HIV has nothing to do
with my sexual orientation.

I didn't get it because I'm gay,
it's because I'm a whore.

But I have to admit,

I was told that whores enjoy it more.

And it's true.

Bravo!

It all started during catechism
when I was ten.

Believe it or not, I went to catechism.

I'm a Catholic whore.

Well, I was told that God

doesn't like gay people,
that he hates them.

And one night, the prophecy became true.

I was sleeping.

And I was dreaming
that I was tied to a tree.

I saw some trees in the distance,

and suddenly,
Jesus was walking towards me.

He told me, "You have to obey!"
And he whipped me.

Damn.

"Are you gay?"

And he whipped me again.

And I told him, "Hit me again."

The guy comes out shirtless,
with his long hair,

how could I resist?
My name's Alberto Lopez. Thank you.

You feel a burning sensation
in your stomach,

you start sweating...

But after the first laugh
from the audience,

it's like they're hugging you with laughs.

It's like being among family, you know?

When I saw my family,

I knew that if I stayed
with them any longer,

I would cry my eyes out.

Listen, I'm terrified.

I mean it. Even my hearing was easier.

I'm Tiara, and I'm going to tell you
what it was like to arrive

at Santa Martha penitentiary.

I didn't think I'd be there very long.

My lawyer told me
he'd get me out in three months.

And I thought he was a badass.

I even recommended him
to a few of my friends.

I've been in prison for two years.

So I have my friends.

TIARA'S MOM

If someone recommends a lawyer to you,
make sure they're not in jail. I mean it.

Don't listen to them.

At first, they sent me to Dormitory A,

the one for those being prosecuted
but still awaiting a sentence.

That wasn't a dormitory. It was purgatory.

There you pay your dues.

It's a place with 15 women

locked up together for 23 hours.

In that limbo,
I bit off all my fingernails,

I had a phantom pregnancy, I went crazy.

You learn about crimes
you never knew existed.

I got some ideas.

And I had to learn
a very sophisticated language.

"Sheep, ranches,
grasshoppers, chirimiquis,

"butches..." That was the hardest one
for me to understand.

What are "butches?"

They'd asked me, "Are you a butch?"

I'd go, "No, I'm Tiara."

Later I understood
that it was because I shaved my hair.

Outside, the Mohican look is in,

but inside, it means you're a lesbian.

I said, "No."

I denied it completely.

"I don't like women."

"Yes, Tiara. You like women."

After two years,
I broke up with my girlfriend.

-You were amazing!
-Really?

Those hugs meant the world to me.

Despite the distance,

we're becoming closer
as mother and daughter,

because I need her and she needs me.

Hi, nice to meet you. How are you?

Great!

It's nice to see beautiful people

because everybody in jail is hideous.

Okay.

When we get into junior high,
we have our first loves...

HONDA'S BROTHER AND PARTNER

...our first experiences,
and our first fuck-ups.

I had a bad experience,
because my girlfriend was terrible.

If I was three minutes late, she'd ask:

"Where were you?

"If you cheat on me, I'll cut it off."

Then I was watching a documentary

about birds.

I didn't know that birds,
in order to get a mate,

fight a bunch of other birds

to see who gets the female bird.

But that's not the end of it. Why?

Then they have to build
a fancy nest, otherwise

they get rejected. It's true.

In addition to fighting,

they have to build a fancy nest
or off they go.

Wanna get married?
Don't have a house or a car? Bye-bye.

Sounds familiar.

So I said, "I'll go see my girl
and tell her it's over."

Driving there,
I was determined to dump her.

And then I get there...

And no. "Hey, honey." "Yes, my darling?"

"You look beautiful." "Really?"

So, ladies, make love, not war.

Love us more, and hit us less.

I'm Juan Luis Espinosa Ferreira,
Honda. That's all.

Thank you so much!

I can't explain it. It's so great.

You're giving me

one of the best things in my life.

Where is Orlando's family?

There you are. That's his nephew.

They brought his nephew.

Are there any parents here today?

A lot. We messed up, okay.

But parents truly know

how difficult it is to have a life
after having children.

How difficult it is to go out on a Friday.
Who do you leave them with?

There's a hierarchy.

First, there's your spouse, right?

Then, their grandparents.

But only if they're good,
because some of them

don't even care if the kid falls.

And your life suddenly becomes clearer.

Who comes next
in the hierarchy? Aunts and uncles.

But if your siblings
don't have children of their own

and they still have a life,
they could kill them.

Think it through before leaving them.

And then, it all goes to shit.

It's like, "No one can do it."
"The neighbor...

"is not that bad.

"We've seen her a couple of times
in the elevator.

"She doesn't look dangerous."

And if even your neighbor can't,

start training your dogs now.
They have good instincts.

Are you ready for the next comedian?

Yes!

Orlando!

Good evening, everybody.

ORLANDO'S DAD

I'm gonna talk about my disease.

My dad passed his epilepsy on to me.

Of course, I control it with medication.

One is to oxygenate the brain,

the second to prevent seizures,

and the third one I took before getting
on stage, while looking in the mirror.

I just turned like this
and took the wrong one.

Damn!

"What did I do?" I said.

Damn, man.

"Buddy, what were those pills in there?"

Take a guess.

-What?
-A smufberry, man.

The famous blue pill.

I said, "What the fuck?"

I didn't take my third pill.

What if I get some cool side effect?

Right? You've met my fellow comedian.

He's like a brother to me. Honda.

He's been with me at all times.

He's taken care of me
for over seven years.

So, let's hear it for my man.

See you around.

It was a big surprise for me.

I was also...

very happy. I still am

because I really wasn't expecting this.

I see...

that he's getting better.

I've always believed in him,
and I know he'll pull through.

Hi, good evening. How are you?

Good!

Great! Because I'm fine too.

My name is Gabriel A.

A as in Aguilar Iturbide.

In my family, there are
four of us siblings.

GABY'S FAMILY

Two women, a man, and...

me. Right?

Despite being behind bars,

I've managed to have a few pets.

I have a few goldfish.

One day, I started sewing.

I looked so cute.

And all of a sudden,
I see a commotion in the fish bowl.

I had a small fish and a big fish,

and suddenly I see...

"What's going on?" And the goldfish...

"What's going on here?"

It turns out, they were copying
the jail system. They'd become killers.

One of them was intimidating the other.
He's quite the bully.

And someone gave me kittens, too.

A male and a female.

I took care of them, they were with me,

and then the female went missing.

Why did she leave? I loved her so much.

After a while, I got it.

Two felines like us can't get along.

Come here. I didn't recognize you.

Tonight is magical. I'll never forget it.

Wow. Beautiful.

Hi, I'm Leslie Pérez.

I'm a woman of the third sex.

I like it three times daily,
morning, noon and night.

LESLIE'S PARENTS

Trans women from my generation
were either whores or stylists,

so I'm both. Thank you.

I've had some issues with friends

who harass me because of my body.

I'm tired of it.
And I've decided to share my secret.

If you want to take notes, go ahead.

It's called the bullet diet.

It consists of four simple steps.

First, find a super toxic boyfriend.

Second, do every stupid thing
your toxic boyfriend

asks you to do.
Third, and most importantly,

it has to be illegal.

That's when the actual diet starts

'cause you'll do cardio

when the police chase you.

Fourth, the policeman has to be chubby,
so he doesn't catch you.

But watch out.

The bullet must hit you in the thorax.

That way you won't absorb
the essential nutrients,

'cause they'll cut out
part of your bowels and colon,

and you'll start drying out
because you'll be missing a kidney.

That's the bullet diet.

Thank you so much, I'm Leslie Maniqui.

Bravo!

You should see your faces.

You were all like, "Can I laugh at this?

"Because it's funny,
but I feel it's wrong.

"And I'll get arrested if I do."
Don't worry.

It's okay. Leslie's parents are here.
How are you?

I'm going to cry.

Don't cry.

Don't cry.

Let me tell you...

to find a husband,

I didn't need Facebook, WhatsApp...

any of that shit I don't even know.

Because I've been in prison for 18 years.

Yeah. You must be thinking, "No way." Yes.

There's a lot I don't understand.

Well... I love you, Mommy.

So, to meet my husband,

I wrote him letters.

Maybe you were thinking
he wrote nice letters.

No, his letters were awful.

I even thought he was a foreigner.

But no, he was a local from Iztapalapa.

But what really persuaded me

was that he wrote with a fountain pen.

And I thought, "No, this is it.
He must be wealthy."

If he had used a Bic pen or a pencil,

I wouldn't have married him.

And I really liked my wedding.

I still remember it, and I get emotional.

Everybody congratulated us,
kindly just like you.

"What's up? Congratulations!"

And I didn't know any of them.

I didn't know my husband either.

We were introduced that day.

My name's Jaqueline Polanco. Thank you.

It's wonderful to hear people laugh,

applaud, and cheer.

Being the one that's causing it
makes you feel like a god.

That lady is my husband's mom,
my mother-in-law.

I call her "mom-in-law."

To be honest,
I didn't think she would come.

Man, this is harder than...

...cell bars.

Good evening. It's a pleasure to be here.

NANCY'S SON AND HUSBAND

I want to talk about being a mom
inside prison.

When you go into labor,
you get a C-section that looks

like it was done in the morgue.

So, there I was when
a beautiful police woman comes in.

She was very elegant,
in uniform, a proper officer.

Long eyelashes, a body to die for.
With a girdle, but still...

In prison, it's really hard
to have a cell phone, but she had one.

She was intimidating. And she says,

"I have my cell phone with me."

And I was like, "Cool." Then,

she asked me if I wanted a picture.

I said, "I don't have any money.

"But we can have coffee,
some bread, a kiss... I don't know.

"Something." And I said,

"Boss, will you take the picture?"

She did, in a flash. It happened so fast.
I didn't even notice.

I thought, "No way, she's from Mars."

I didn't even see the flash.
When I was younger,

they put something on,
and when they took the picture,

smoke came out.

Right?

And my first day in prison,
they told me, "Right,

"left, front."

"Special particularities: robust."

Those bastards.

Bravo!

Like an ocean wave.

That's what it feels like.

-How do I look?
-Pretty.

Really?

I had never seen her perform.

I really admire her.

NOÉ'S PARTNER

Good evening, how are you?

Good!

Great!

Has anyone here never been in love?

Can any of you say:

"I've always paid for sex?"

No one? Good.

My first date
inside prison was very romantic.

The lady was in a black uniform,
and she had on black boots.

No, it wasn't latex.
She was an officer, actually.

She was very sexy. And she told me,

"Lower your pants and your underwear."

"Open up your cheeks and do a squat."

Okay, let me see.

"But aren't you going to kiss me?"

"No, I'm going to kick your ass."

She left a mark on my heart,

and on my face.

From there, they took me out.

Not out dancing.

No, to do an anthropometric test.

Since you look like you like to drink,

I'll say it's like El Torito,
but they take your fingerprints

and your picture.

To me, being in prison
is like falling in love.

There are good days and bad days.

You have to do things for fun.

And you never know
when you'll get a blowjob.

If I had a mic in my heart, you'd hear...

-Be happy.
-Yes, I am.

Look where I am.

-My love.
-How do I look?

Very handsome.

During all these years, what he's
taught me is the meaning of freedom.

He's never told me,

"Stay by my side." No.

And I think that's real love.

Loving is giving each other freedom.

I love to paint.

And I've always admired
Frida Kahlo's work.

Actually, I think we have
many things in common.

She had a very colorful wardrobe,

lots of traditional
handmade Mexican outfits.

My wardrobe isn't handmade,
but it is handwashed.

She liked fat men.

And I like whoever is available.

AÍDA'S GRANDSON

She travelled a lot. Paris, New York.

I've been to the East,
North, and South penitentiaries...

Santa Martha. Same thing.

Bravo! We love you!

I'm Aída. It's been a pleasure. Thank you.

Where is my grandson?

I hadn't seen my grandson
since he was five years old.

And he came! He got the invitation,
and he came to see me.

At first, when he came up

and said hi, I thought, "Who is he?"

-Hello.
-Hello.

I thought he was part of the film crew

because I had never seen him before.

And he said, "I didn't want
you to be alone, Granny."

I have his face etched in my mind.

I want to be with him,
hug him, and not let go.

Make some noise! How are you?

Louder! How are you?

All right. Where is Santa Martha?

Don't lie. You take the viaduct

and go straight. It's not here.

The first time you go,
you don't know what to take.

What would you take?

Nothing, man. You can't bring anything.

But you get there and...

They say, "We'll check
that you don't have anything on you."

And you say, "I swear, officer,

"I have nothing on me."

"Not even sugar."

"I'm going to lay on the wall for a bit...

"on an empty stomach."

And then they tell you,
"I'm going to check you."

"Go ahead, officer." They touch you here.

And I know I have nothing.

But what if I do?

Good evening, beautiful audience.

My name's Roque.
I come from Santa Martha penitentiary.

-Hey, Roque, sorry to interrupt.
-Tell me, miss.

I see you have a tattoo on your arm,
tell me about that.

This tattoo has some history, miss.

You like my tattoo?

When I had it done,
I was totally stoned, guys.

I told my cellmate,
"Hey, give me a tattoo." And he asked,

"What would you like?"

I said, "To be honest,
I want a Bimbo bear."

"Really?" he asked. "Yes," I said.

So he made me the Bimbo bear right here.

I got the Bimbo bear.

Why a Bimbo bear?

Because I like Bimbo donuts,

Bimbo fritters,
and I like the muffins too.

All right...

I see you walk funny.

Tell me about your walk.

Miss, this walk is to show off.

It's to feel better at Santa Martha.

This one is called the "jail crook walk."

"What's up, man?
What's going on? Gimme some weed."

"What's up?"

You want to change it, right?

Yes, I want to change it.
I'd also like to change my address.

I'd like to change my address.

And this is my Charlie Chaplin walk.

It's like a baby.

Or a kid on the street.

They walk around like this.

I would have liked
to see my parents and my brother

while I was onstage.

I would have liked for them
to feel proud of me at least once...

to see something good.

I thank you all

for coming, and for being willing

to listen to people in confinement.

When someone makes you laugh,
you lower your walls and listen.

People in prisons are not heard,

because we see a criminal first,
not a human being.

It's a true honor for me

to call them onstage
for another round of applause.

Please, come out.

They all surprised me.
They were all incredible.

I was surprised

to see Roque so comfortable on stage.

He was nervous, but he was comfortable.

People were laughing,
and he wanted to go on.

He didn't let them applaud because
he's not used to the recognition.

And he improvised a joke.

I thought that was incredible,
and it worked.

And to the families
of our performers today,

your children deserve applause too.

They are not used to them getting it,
but they deserve it.

Thank you.

I think it was puzzling for their families
to see they were accepted.

"My daughter, who caused so much damage
to society and to myself,

is receiving applause. I don't get it."

I once hugged my parents and told them
they'd be proud of me one day.

Great. Thank you.

Inspector.

-Thank you.
-You're great, Roque!

I hope to graduate.

TIARA HAS 8 YEARS LEFT.

Ten years from now,
I might even want a family.

I didn't before, but now I do.

And to travel and see new things.

SHE MARRIED...
A MAN

I want to write.

ROQUE HAS 48 YEARS LEFT.

I'm proud of myself

because now I feel I'm good at something.

HE STILL WORKS OUT DAILY
AND ON HIS REHABILITATION.

There's a saying that goes...

GABY HAS GOLDFISH
AND LOVES HER CAT.

"Those who fall and get up,
will one day get up and never fall again."

I have it etched in here and I live by it.

LESLIE HAS 5 YEARS LEFT.

I finally finished something.

SHE CHANGED HER DIET.

I feel accomplished. I do.

What did you think? It was nice.

ORLANDO AND HONDA
ARE STILL LIKE BROTHERS.

-Take this.
-Don't.

NANCY STILL PERFORMS AS A CLOWN.

Some of us decide to change.
Social rehabilitation is up to you,

not anyone else.

NOÉ AND HIS GIRLFRIEND
ARE STILL IN LOVE.

AÍDA'S OUT OF PRISON
AND STILL PAINTING.

I have a beautiful family waiting for me.

ALEJANDRA'S OUT OF PRISON.

I have nephews and nieces I love.

SHE'S ENJOYING
HER HUSBAND AND FAMILY.

I have to be ready
to be an example for them,

to guide them.

Despite all I've been through

ALBERTO HAS 6 YEARS LEFT
AND MANY PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

I believe in people.

I think we have a lot of good things.

HE'S STILL WITH HIS PARTNER.

In the grand scheme,

I'd like to be a force of creation,
not destruction.

I touched freedom
with my way of thinking and feeling.

JAQUELINE AND HER DAUGHTER
ARE STILL ENJOYING EACH OTHER'S COMPANY.

If at least five percent of how I feel

gets out there, and people

turn to these prisoners

and understand how hard it is to be good,

that's enough for me.

SOFÍA PLANS TO CONTINUE TEACHING
COMEDY WORKSHOPS AS A TYPE OF THERAPY.