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Marco (54) knows how difficult reintegration can be after several years in prison. He is familiar with the loneliness, the self-doubt, and the constant temptation to reconnect with criminal structures. The son of a Bolivian civil engineer and a Berlin hairdresser, he early learns to solve problems with his fists rather than with words. Later, drugs are involved – first as a user, then as a dealer. Marco doesn’t know any boundaries, selling tons of drugs and building an international network. Then he is imprisoned. After his release in 2010, he fights his way back into life, starting his own business as an industrial climber. His daughter is born in 2020, and Marco makes a radical decision: He no longer wants to simply push his dark past aside, but rather confront it. He wants to transform it into something positive. Marco is convinced that he can reach other former criminals effectively. Because he speaks their language and because he can meet them eye to eye. He will help them find a way out of the cycle of crime. His message is: "There is always a second chance in life, and it's up to you to seize it. You alone determine who you will be tomorrow." This concept, called "Credible Messenger," was actually developed in the USA: ex-prisoners are successfully rehabilitating themselves there. But is Germany ready for such a step? The high recidivism rates here are well known. Marco has completed training as a life coach and offers his volunteer support to all prisons in Berlin and Brandenburg. He initially receives words of praise, but then rejections follow: Apparently, bureaucracy and "insufficient capacity" stand in the way of his plans. But Marco doesn't give up. He sets out to find ex-prisoners who would like his support as a life coach. At the same time, he wrestles with his own demons: he suffers from depression and his high aggression potential. He finds balance primarily in spending time with his daughter, but also in motorcycling, martial arts, and conversations with Steve, a long-time companion and priest of a Free Church in Berlin.

The film follows Marco on this inner and outer journey, all the way to his very first coaching session. Marco is now finally able to support a young man with whom he shares many similarities: experiences of violence, imprisonment, and loneliness, but also a great longing for a peaceful and self-determined life.

 

 

With and about

Marco Antonio Alvarez

 

Crew

DoP: Arsenij Gusev
Sound: Martin Kleinmichel, Artem Funk
Editor: Calle Overweg
Narrator: Lisa Hrdina
Sound Mixing: Mathias Ludwig (rbb) and Jochen Voerste (Concept Av)
Color Grading: Eric Giese (Lopez Media)
Production: Alexandra Georgi – Android Dreams Film
Commissioning Editors: Annekathrin Ruhose, Ulrike Bieritz – rbb
Script/ Director: Katharina Mihm