Gangs, cocaine, and pervasive violence, for which criminals and the police are responsible in equal measure—life in Honduras is not easy. The protagonists in Loretta van der Horst’s film live in one of the most dangerous cities in the world—San Pedro Sula. Pastor Daniel Pacheco is aware of the sins of both police officers and gangsters. By maintaining contact with both, he tries to somehow protect his faithful. Orlin Castro is a reporter. He has seen so many corpses in his lifetime that even the most monstrous crimes seem to make no impression on him. The third protagonist is a gangster, one of hundreds of local sicarios—contract killers. Matathan, who speaks openly about his profession, would finally like to get out and start living a normal life. All three would like to believe that the situation will somehow change for the better, but van der Horst’s Honduras isn’t a place where faith works miracles. 

Konrad Wirkowski