Chicuarotes

Two teenagers, Cagalera and Moloteco, dress as clowns on a crowded Mexico City bus, telling jokes to earn money. When the passengers refuse to pay, they threaten and pull a gun to force payment, signaling a first step into a life of crime. The tense stunt exposes their desperate bid to escape poverty.

Cagalera lives with his mother, younger sister, and his gay brother in a poor neighborhood. His mother’s relationship with the abusive drunk Baturro brings fear into the house. He longs to leave town with his girlfriend Sugehili, who works as a hairdresser, hoping for a better future beyond San Gregorio Atlapulco.

Cagalera convinces Moloteco to help with a robbery organized by Planchado. They try to raid a lingerie shop owned by Planchado’s girlfriend, but find little money and leave with only lingerie. Two female police officers who know Planchado recognize him, and he is taken away while Cagalera and Moloteco are briefly released.

Feeling the lure of a larger payoff, the boys decide to kidnap the local butcher's young son to demand ransom. The whole town becomes unsettled as residents search for the culprit, while Chillamil, a feared ex-convict, is released from prison and looms over the situation. The plan marks a dangerous turn from petty theft to kidnapping.

News spreads quickly as the town hunts for the kidnapper. Chillamil's presence heightens fear as the ex-convict seems determined to uncover the culprits. The tension thickens as everyone wonders who will be next in the growing web of danger.

Sugehili finds Moloteco alone with the kidnapped boy and convinces him to release the child and promise secrecy. The plan to ransom the boy falters as a moral hesitation and fear of reprisal emerges. The teens decide to flee the town, hoping to steal money later from Baturro.

Cagalera and Moloteco attempt to steal money that Baturro has stored at Cagalera's home, but Baturro catches them and beats Cagalera severely. The confrontation underscores the brutality of the adults in their lives and raises the stakes of their escape. The home becomes a focal point of danger and consequence.

In front of the butcher, the father demands identification of the kidnapper. The son points to the hills, suggesting the culprits lie outside the town, and a mob begins to form, eager for retribution. Fear and anger ignite a looming, violent confrontation.

Amid the escalating chaos, Cagalera's mother murders Baturro by poisoning his drink, removing a dangerous obstacle from the equation. The act increases the town's sense of danger and inflames rivalries. The family finds itself deeper in a doomed web of violence.

Chillamil corners the group on a rooftop, brandishing a gun and threatening to rape Sugehili. Cagalera's brother creates a distraction, allowing Cagalera and Moloteco to attack Chillamil. In the ensuing chaos, Chillamil is shot, and before he dies, he fatally shoots Moloteco.

Cagalera and Sugehili escape the chaos and decide to run away together, imagining a new life in places like Mazatlán, Acapulco, Tijuana, or Las Vegas. They discuss leaving the town behind to escape judgment and poverty. A tentative sense of possibility surfaces amid ongoing danger.

As they contemplate their future, Sugehili suddenly walks away from Cagalera in silence. The relationship that began with a shared dream collapses under fear, guilt, and uncertainty. The story ends with an open question about whether they can ever start anew together.