El Penco

Twelve years ago, Mateo Xavier Manuel Rodriguez Aguerra–Veracruz, an artist from northern New Mexico, wandered across the border into Mexico with dreams of exploring the world but got no further than Ciudad Juárez. Known as Penco—the orphan—he paints and contemplates the lost world of his childhood. Single-minded about his art, he has become a recluse. When Penco starts to work as a bus driver, the chaotic streets and characters of Juárez begin to reconnect him with the world. He spends time with friends from El Café Misión, a local bar frequented by the elusive Gabriella, a fellow artist; Penco's best friend Frederico, the head chef at the only four-star restaurant in the city; Twain de Vaca, a American film studies student who irritates Penco with his admiration; and a German tightrope walker, Heinrich Damrosch. Ultimately, Penco's friends, the bus passengers, and encounters with three strangers allow him to confront the haunting images and fears from his childhood, a necessary step if he is ever to return home.