[hip-hop music playing]
♪ One, two, one, two, three ♪
♪ Where Brooklyn at? Where Brooklyn at? ♪
[piano music playing]
Welcome to Puerto Rico, Martians.
[in Spanish] The island of enchantment,
salsa,
beautiful brown women and drums.
[in English] That's right.
[in Spanish] Land of the Valiant Lord.
[in English] East of Española.
Formerly inhabitated by the indigenous tribe of Taínos.
Until this motherfucker right here,
Christopher Columbus.
This fraudulent mamabicho.
This murderer of the high seas.
This pillager of the village people.
My manz, you was lost
and were found spinning 'round in circles,
saved, brought back to the island,
only to cut off the hands of the Taínos who threw you a fishing line.
They should have left your ass in the ocean for the Africanos
to pull you back and then beat you with their chains.
Whip your ass with their grandmama's sandals.
Save us from the 500 years that you set the fuck off.
'Cause it was all goodie with the hoodie until you came over here
with the queen of Spain with a dried tittie in your mouth
and your pale God complex.
That's right,
I said it.
Fuck Cristopher Columbus.
Two times.
Shit, 'cause where I'm from,
the only Christopher we acknowledge is
Rios, Wallace,
and Rock.
So, wherever this chucky ducky, quack quack, manganzón is buried,
I hope he's choking on a turkey bone...
...and he's wrapped up like a mummy in toilet paper de toile smallpox blankets.
And last but not least, certainly,
least but not last,
we ain't done tearing down statues
till Christopher Columbusta
gets it too.
We've been doing the righteous thing,
tearing down statues of Confederate soldiers
all over the South.
But here in New York,
the greatest city in the world,
this shit is still standing.
Motherfucker. Son of a bitch.
Oh, and Italian Americans, don't hate.
It's all amore.
[Winny] Mekka, this an Airbnb jointy-joint.
Okay.
What's up, y'all? You like, ladies, you like?
Um...
Yo, my manz, this place ain't even got a couch.
This shit all right to me, man.
- At least there's sunlight, right? - It's not so bad...
Nah, this place giving me the heebie-jeebies.
What the fuck is up? We came here, help the people in the struggle and shit.
We got dibbs.
Got one over here. Hey yo, we'll share.
This shit ain't even got a window, yo. And there's one bed.
My brother, you know the routine. I came out of jail.
I sleep on the bed, you sleep on the floor.
- Ain't no change. - Nah. Nah. Nah.
No. I don't know if I can do this, man.
- Listen, bro, we got tall ceilings. - Right.
- We got big closets. - Preach.
We got handcuffs and Nutella.
- And we got motherfuckin' light. - Hell to the nah.
We don't got light.
Oh, hell, no. What the fuck is up?
Oh, no, we gotta get the fuck up outta here, man.
- What? - Grab your shit.
Winny don't do the dark.
Let me tell you, you wasn't there.
You don't know about the night life.
When the lights went off in the Hot to Trot,
and two Greenwood Cemetery raccoons ran up on me?
Boom! Gave 'em two hard jams to that.
Chumps snuck up behind me,
tried to slapbox with a gun,
had to hit 'em with the left uppercut.
Smokin' Joe Frazier.
Oh, fuck, no.
Winny don't do the dark.
Winny, come back.
Come back, Daddy.
- I don't do the dark! - Okay. We're here.
We're going right to the light. [laughs]
Look.
- Sure missed the light, baby. - This is it.
Come on, Mars.
Nola, you feel like the fifth wheel?
I kind of do. Look at y'all.
- Why? This isn't even a thing. - Looks like a thing.
- It's not a thing. - It's a thing.
This shit is friendship.
- You think it's friendship. - That boy cherish...
It's been a trillion years.
Yo, it's about to be midnight, y'all. Noche deSan Juan. We gotta get in.
Let's go.
Seven times, falling backwards, all right?
- I hope this water ain't cold, man. - Bring it, Mars!
[girl] Come on, let's do it.
Oh, feel that. My God, it's amazing.
[hollering]
[Nola] It's amazing!
[Mars] Nola, come here.
Come on.
Everybody, we're about to get to cleansed of this negativity.
One, two, three!
- [Nola] One, two... - Six more times!
...three,
four, five,
six,
seven!
Cash.
Bitcoin.
[piano music playing]
Puerto Rico.
Dear God,
it's your main manz Mars,
son of Monte Blackmon.
Yeah.
Um...
Yo, my G, lately, life has been like a... like a roller coaster ride
on the cyclone of CI.
I'm just hoping that this trip could bring things
into a little bit of perspective.
You know, I'm down to learn something if you down to teach me.
Show me?
Cool.
All right.
Cool.
Yo...
I pray for...
for justice...
for Junior... Guzman-Feliz.
And...
can you say what's up to my Pas for me, please?
This district, like all these, like, buildings were abandoned.
[Mars] And he just started giving walls to artists.
I think he was like the mayor or something like that.
- Like, this one? - This is like the art district. Yeah.
You know, people started moving back in, people started buying up properties,
'cause, you know...
How you doing?
[Nola chuckles]
Welcome, guys.
Hey, how are you doing, man? My name is Mars.
- Nola Darling. - Nola. Nice to meet you, guys.
Man, we just wanted to bring you some money
to support what you guys are doing here.
- All right. - Here you are.
Much appreciated.
[in Spanish] Hey kids, stop for a moment.
Say hi to Mars and Nola.
They've come all the way from Brooklyn, New York,
too see your work. Say hello.
[all] Hola.
[man] Well, as you can see here, we are like an after-hours program.
Instituto de Subcultura.
We work with kids doing workshops
and having a lot of fun with them with the art.
Hi.
How are you doing, man? What's up, brother?
[in Spanish] Say hello.
What's this?
[man, in Spanish] Butterfly. She's creating a butterfly.
[in Spanish] She's very pretty.
I have an afro.
[laughs]
[Nola] Yeah, her technique is insane.
[Winny, in Spanish] Hello.
Welcome to Puerto Rico.
Thank you.
- Is this your first time? - Yes.
No, I've been here before.
Winny been here.
- This is the money. - Oh, thank you.
For La Perla Paints Your Future.
Thank you.
We are with you.
We are from New York, ya dig.
Let's go over.
I want to introduce to coach Papo Swing,
who run the basketball program.
That is my beautiful black princess.
- Papo Swing! - Hi, baby.
Papo Swing. What's up?
Did Carmelo Anthony give you this?
Carmelo Anthony remodeled it.
And the hurricane destroyed it.
DO NOT ABANDON US PLEASE BRING WATER AND FOOD
["Bang Bang" playing]
- Yo, what up? - What up?
- What's up? - Hey!
Good to see you.
Buenos dias.
Mama, you look beautiful. Welcome to Santurce.
What up?
I need you to go talk to Mommy
'cause she refuses to talk about this paperwork in Brooklyn.
We need her to get this signed, please.
What you want me to say to her, yo?
It's not like she wants to keep us here anyway. Isn't that why she left?
Okay, cool, then you tell her that.
Dale, let's go.
Mars, think this is what a Puerto Rican kitchen in heaven smells like?
Mama-Dukes gets down with the cooking.
Y'all sit on that couch, and I'll go get Ma-Dukes, all right?
Cool.
- Welcome to the tribe called Blessed. - [Nola laughs]
I hated this couch growing up, girl.
I can't believe mom kept this thing and shipped it back from Brooklyn.
Huh.
[woman] Mars!
Where's my son?
Huh?
[in Spanish] Bless you, Mommy.
- I missed you. - I missed you too.
Yeah?
And what's this I hear about you losing your job? Huh?
A job?
Nah, look, I got jobs, plural.
- "Jobs"? - I always keeps me a job.
Okay. I'm sorry. Give me a kiss.
Oh, no. No. No
[in Spanish] Son.
What you trying to do, give me a heart attack?
My blood pressure just went up.
Sit.
Here we go.
- "Here we go" where? You just got here. - Ma, come on, please.
"Please Ma" nothing.
So you stop that right now.
You know,
look what we got here.
[in Spanish] Oshun's daughter.
Well...
There are people that wanna talk to you.
[dishes clattering]
Come. Let's eat.
["My Theme Song" playing]
Yo, you don't knock?
Shemekka, baby, why you hiding the scars?
You know you beautiful, baby.
Beautiful is easy to say. I just...
I don't feel that way.
Tell you something, Mekka, when I see you, I don't see a little girl.
I see a beautiful lady, a superwoman.
I see plants in your eyes, ready to grow out the track.
Plant seeds for little Nadia, baby.
You incredible. You special, Shemekka.
Don't feel like that. You Winny's girl, baby.
I'm ugly.
What's the matter with you, baby?
You know Winny crazy about you, baby. You beyond beautiful, man.
Winny got your back.
Why are you so sweet to me?
'Cause you incredible, you beautiful.
I see something extra in you. Something you don't even see.
We gonna be winning around the world, baby.
Come here.
Where'd you get a pair of those hazel eyes?
Jamestown?
[both scoff]
Yeah. Ma-Dukes got jokes.
[in Spanish] This is amazing.
Thank you.
I told you, Ma's getting Busy Gillespie, though.
Yeah. Well, I love...
Mars.
Ma.
[in Spanish] What?
Your mother can't speak now?
I love Mars.
Wait, what, word?
But... not like that. I mean, we're just friends.
Ouch.
I don't think so.
You two are like honey and molasses. You pour very slowly together.
I'm serious, Nola.
From the energy you gave me when I walked in here,
I thought you were gonna tell me that Mars was pregnant.
Not funny.
I wasn't trying to be funny.
[in Spanish] Olofi, Orisha, and Egun
know all the secrets.
Tell 'em to holla at ya boy about finally putting our names on the lease.
Lulu.
[in Spanish] Yes.
Can you head to Don Miguel's and pick up some bread?
[in Spanish] And Queso de Papa, too, if you can.
Yes, Mommy.
And get another bag of rice, please.
- And take your brother with you. - Why?
We already have rice.
Well, it's better to eat rice than to kneel on it.
Don't make me do a grandma on your ass.
Beh. Not me. We out.
Excuse me.
Sorry.
- Nola, you rolling? - Yeah...
No, let her stay.
She hasn't even finished eating yet.
I'll see you.
- Excuse me. - Come on!
- You like the food? - [Mars] Be right back.
- Very much. - Yeah? There's more if you want some.
Yo, don't believe a word my mom says.
- Oh, my God. Go. - Just saying.
She be wildin'.
Okay, shoot.
Miss Doña Lucy,
I'm not that girl, you know?
Mars and I are different, and it works.
Well, you'll never findno one more loyal to the soil than my son.
He's good peeps. Okay?
But the spirits didn't drag you all the way over here
for me to talk to you about Mars.
They wanna know why you're not serving your blessings.
Excuse me?
Anyone can throw paint against the wall.
But the paintbrush must tell the truth about who we are.
Especially during a time where there's just madness everywhere.
I feel like I paint what's real.
What's real to you
and what's very real about the rest of the world
are not connecting.
Your name isn't Nola Darling.
Ours is.
And your blessing is to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.
That's what you are here to serve.
I'm lost.
I... I have this solo show coming up and I've just been like...
blindly painting away.
So, you dig a trail.
Okay?
[in Spanish] Let your spirits hold the map.
Especially for you.
[Nola chuckles]
We're all living in a cathedral full of ancestors.
And I'm pretty sure they haven't left since you got here.
How do I hear from them though?
It took me a minute to learn that.
They're your convictions, so serve them.
They're blessings, yo. Okay?
That's that element that's in this room right now, you dig? [Nola laughs]
I can dig it, Doña Tina. I can dig it.
Sweetheart,
Tina was a very long time ago.
Doña Tina...
[in Spanish] No more.
Okay.
[Mars] Yo, my bad if Ma-Dukes hit you with Da Espiritu Bong Bong.
You know, I appreciate a woman who can keep it all the way trill.
Yeah, well, you know.
Sometimes she keep it a little too trill.
That's why pops flew the coop, man.
I thought you told me he was murdered.
Yeah, well, let's just say it's a long means to an end.
You have an innate ability to make clear sense
where there's no sense to be found.
Whoah.
[in Spanish] My manz.
What's up, brother?
What's up, bro?
My man! [laughs]
This my friend, Nola.
- What up, though? - This Pacheco.
Are you guys here to take a little tour of La Perla?
I mean, yeah, I'm saying y'all got that... [hissing]
Oh, we got that...
[all laugh]
For sure, mami, for sure.
[indisctinct chatter, laughter]
[Mars] That's nice.
[in Spanish] Thank you.
[man] And here's the Atlantic Ocean.
This is where the...
the slaves and the free Africanos came in.
- Free Africans in PR? - Yeah.
Before they were black slaves, here on the island,
they were free Africanos.
You know, they came with the Spanish conquistador.
It wasn't until the Spaniards kill off most of the Taínos,
then they brought in slaves from Africa
and force the free Africanos who were here into ship labor.
You mean free labor?
[in Spanish] Well, yeah.
Free labor for sure.
And the town behind you where we just came from
is where the slaves, they were allowed to live.
As you can see even from their homes,
they were reminded that their real home
was an ocean away.
But you will never hear that story told in history class, you know what I mean?
[camera chimes, shutter clicks]
[chattering]
Here's the woman who got the thing, you know.
- "The thing"? - The thing.
[gasps]
- Thank you so much. - One for you.
- And you. - Another one for you.
[Mars] That's like 36 meals.
Thank you so much. Wow.
- How much...? - Enjoy it.
- [Lulu] See you later. - Have fun.
My manz, where you going?
[Nola laughs]
- Wouldn't get mad if I went with them? - Smoke.
They were fly as fuck.
[upbeat music playing]
Oh, yeah!
[in Spanish] Look.
Yep.
You can't see that in Brooklyn.
Like, I want to kiss you right now, but I know...
- I'm not trying to take it there. - Mars.
Right. You're right.
After shit ended with you and me, like kinda sorta like...
I kinda had a thing with Clo and shit.
Mars, I know.
If...
that had to happen, we had to happen to get to this...
then it all makes perfect sense.
[Winny] This is it right here.
What's up?
Yo, we'll be right back, a'ight?
[Winny, in Spanish] What's up, brother?
It's a pleasure to meet you.
[Mars] We brought money for the Techo Relief Foundation.
[Shemekka] How was last night?
- It was lit. - Eh?
What about you? You get lucky?
Nah, man, it's just...
it's a little complicated.
You know, I like Winny a lot.
I like him, but I feel a little bit of a contradiction when I'm with him.
I mean, dude runs a so-called burlesque club,
but I've been here long enough to really know better.
Just when them ballers start coming out,
that's when it turns into the Hot-N-Thot.
It's like two and a half bottles away from becoming a full-fledged brothel.
Maybe you should try communicating with him.
- You know? Tell him how you feel. - Really?
Bitch, you know I don't know. I'm trash at relationships.
I'm just saying, maybe tell Winny, if he wanna be your man,
that he need to turn the Hot-N-Trot into Mekka's Mecca.
- I don't know. - Y'all good?
[Mars] Ladies, that's the third drop-off.
What y'all talking about?
- Frogs. - Frogs?
Yeah, them things are mad loud at night.
They're cocky, right?
Going...
[mimics frog]
[woman] This is for our sisters.
[Shemekka] You feel that?
[Nola] Yup.
Conviction.
You ain't never lies.
[woman, in Spanish] Hi.
- Hey. - Hi.
- Welcome. - Thank you.
[in Spanish] This is for Taller Salud.
- [woman] Thank you so much. - Here you go.
[woman] Thank you so much.
- Follow me. - Okay.
Mekka, they could use more women's centers like this.
[singing in Spanish] Wake up, Borinqueño
The signal has been given
Wake up from your slumber
It's time to fight
Doesn't that patriotic call
Set your heart on fire?
Come, we'll enjoy
The sound of the cannon
We want freedom
Our machete will give it to us
Come on, Borinqueño
Let's go
Our freedom awaits us
Freedom eagerly awaits us
Freedom
Long live free Puerto Rico!
[girl] I'm Boriqua!
[all chant] Just so you know!
[girl] I'm Boriqua!
[all chant] Just so you know!
[guy] I'm Boriqua!
[all chant] Just so you know!
[guy] I'm Boriqua!
[Mars] Come on, Nola!
[all chant] Just so you know!
[guy] I'm Boriqua!
[all chant] Just so you know!
Adiós!
Oshun's daughter.
[in Spanish] Look who is there.
Oshun's daughter.
May I take your picture, please?
[in Spanish] Yes, of course.
[in Spanish] Thank you.
- [Nola] Have you ever...? - [Mars] Nah.
I ain't never seen that before.
- [Mars] It's wild, right? - [Nola] I'm just glad you saw it too.
[upbeat music playing]
[Winny] You're killing it, baby!
[laughings]
[music stops]
[woman] Oshun.
[piano music playing]
You all right?
You know, if you ain't ready to go back yet,
you can stay back with us for a few days, you know,
until we drag Mama-Dukes back to the Republic.
Nah.
I gotta get back.
I got work to do.
I hope you don't think I've been leading you on.
Nah.
[Mars] Get back to your art, Nola. That's where your heart's at.
Just leave a little space for your boy when I get back to the fort.
[Nola laughs]
Just a little.
We're good, man.
[Mars] I'm glad you came.
[Nola] Same.
[Mars] Hey.
You wanted to talk to me?
Yeah. Come.
You all right?
I'm good, yeah.
This is so hard for me.
I wanted to talk to you.
I should have had this talk with you a long time ago, but...
things happen, right?
First of all, I want to say that
it's time for you to grow up.
I've been a little responsible for that. I've babied you too much.
And I kept a big secret from you.
[sighs]
Your father's not your father.
What you mean, my father's not my father?
I mean the father that you know is not your father.
So who's... What are you talking... Who's my father?
Your real father, his name is Mookie.
Mookie?
Like that's his government name? Mookie?
- Yes. [laughs] - Badass.
Yeah.
- Are you serious? - Dead, straight up.
You all right?
Why would you wait so long to tell me this, though?
Your real father and I...
we weren't like honey and molasses, I'll tell you that much.
We were more like oil and vinegar.
Things were so crazy, and then the father that you do know
stepped in and...
I figured...
maybe it was best that you didn't know.
So he, like, left...
when I was born or some shit?
He left when you were about one years old.
Do you know where this Mookie is?
I don't know where the fuck he is.
[both laugh]
Come here.
- I love you. - I love you too, Mom.
I'm sorry.
["Periodico De Ayer" playing]
[crowd cheering]
[man, in Spanish] Because there is a Puerto Rican spiritual archetype.
There is an intense Puerto Rican desire to improve.
There is a Puerto Rican greatness.
There is a Puerto Rican vision of beauty.
There is a Puerto Rican faith.
There is a faith that is extended towards eternity,
of generations not yet born,
of great and noble and sacred Puerto Ricans.
[crowd applauds]
I traveled everywhere in the Americas for three years,
from '27 to '30,
seeking the support from our brothers,
to liberate our country from Yankee plundering.
And I found select spirits.
I found
Grecian figures.
Human figures of whom
it cannot be said that they are all Mexicans,
or that they are Hispanic-Americans,
or that they are Latin Americans,
or simply Americans.
Or simply of this world.
Figures such as Don Federico Henriques Y Carvajal,
the glorious national hero
who has just celebrated
one hundred years of a life of glory.
They all told me...
"Albizu...
Your cause will succeed,
but the work is arduous.
The work is hard.
But it will succeed."