LA VIDA LOCA

The notorious Mara gangs were born in the immigrant Latin American communities of Los Angeles in the 1980s. Their bloody gang warfare is now widespread across the cities of Central America. The world of the Maras is one of drugs, crime, murder, brutal rituals and raw violence with a cyclical rhythm – another youngster signs up, another body bag on the streets. Christian Poveda spent a year in El Salvador with members of the Mara 18 gang and their arch rivals the Mara Salvatrucha. These so-called pandilleros mostly joined the gangs as young teenagers, attracted by the promise of security, drugs or simply a chance to "have fun." Their fate was sealed. The gangs became their families, even their religion. There is almost no way out: it is not easy to get a job or even leave your neighbourhood when you have got the signs of your gang affiliation tattooed all over your face. Most of the protagonists of this film face a violent death at the hands of a rival gang. The lucky ones will end up in jail; few achieve redemption. "I have no future. I've got one foot in the grave." - 'El Duende' (The Goblin).