UR HANDITAN-MOTXILADUN UMEAK

- I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I'm hungry...
- No way, are you?

- A little bit.
- Chorizo?

- I don't know, is there any left?
- Yes, do you want it or not?

- Yes, but also for you and grandpa.

- Yes, there is, don't worry, I don't want it.
- Ah, that's true.

- I'm hungry, I'm hungry...

- We went to the library today, at school.
- What?

- We went to the library... to the media library.
- When?

- Today... In the morning.
- Oh, in the morning?

- Yes-
- And?

- I got a lend of a book.
- For the trip?

- Maybe yes, well, yes...
- Ok, very well, yes...

- Its title is 'Grandpa and grandma at the summercamp'.

- Let's see, Garikoitz, here is yours... Grandpa doesn't eat chorizo.

- No, I don't want it... I don't want it.

- How is it? Is it hot?

- Gari, can you tell us where
and who you live with?

- Yes, well... I live in Biriatu with my grandparents.

- Surrounded by forests and montains. Are you
happy here?

- Yes... yes.
- Why do you live with your grandparents?

- Because my mother and father
were in prison, and when I was 3

my uncle took me to Biriatu

to live with my grandparents.

- Have you always known
your parents in prison?

- Yes
- And how is that?

- Well, a bit sad.

- When I see them I am very happy,
but at the farewell a little bit sad.

- Enjoy!
- Thank you.

- Later, I'll tell you where the ID
and the rest of the things are

in the backpack, okay?
So you can tell your auntie.

- In your everyday life, in what situations
do you notice that your parents
are in prison?

What things do you have to change
because your parents are in prison?

- Well...

- It's ok Gari.

- Oh and... maybe my homework for the journey.

- I told you earlier...
- Yes.

...to take them... to put them in the backpack.

- Yes, we'll put them in now.

- I told you to take your homework with you,
so you can do them with Larraitz.

- What homework do you have?

- Maths.

- Maths? That's easy!

- Yes.

- But I told you earlier, to take it, didn't I?

- Yeaaaah!

- Errrm... I'm sorry, could you
ask me the question again?

- I can't remember it...

- Yes, we’d like to know what it is like
to have your parents in prison.

- Well, sometimes you feel bad,

other times not that much. I think about
them all the time, and I love them very much.

- Where were you born?
- In Granada. In prison.

- So, usually otherwise,
whenever I finish I will...

- Mikel is very nice,
and sometimes we speak

or play with the kids, with Jare and the rest.
- With Jare, yes, she is very kind!

- Yes, that wee girl, yes... And ask
Mikel to... connect to the wifi

in your tablet.
- Yes, sure... yes, yes.

- So you can play a bit with the tablet.
- Yes.

- If you feel a little bored or whatever...
- Yes, or to listen to music as well.

- That’s it! Or watch videos, no?
- Benito Lertxundi, or Huntza.
(Basque bands)

- Yes, that's it.
- Oh yes! Yes, there's a film at night.

- How many prisons have you visited?
- 7 or... 5, i’m not really sure.

- How long were you in prison?
- 3 years.

- 3 years?
- 3 years.

- I've got you the biggest one.
- Granma, I know how to cut it down, don't worry.

- Yes? So go, do it yourself.

- When there are changes from one prison to another,
when your parents are moved to another prison...

How is it like?
It's bad. If only they were moved closer

But they don’t bring them closer to here…

They take them further away, and it’s worse.

- Have all those changes always been to take them even further away?

- Yes.

- So, one day I was with Aitzol,
my older cousin, and we arrived

to "El Cepo" to have breakfast, right?
And well, later on with the family,
the aunt and so on,

they said 'How about the journey?'
and cousin Aitzol said

'See, we were having breakfast in Cepo',
and Gari... was asleep!

- Welcome. Today we’re taking the bus
to go to Cadiz.

A 2000 kilometres round trip.

There, we will join a child who has both
of his parents in prison.

In fact, Gari was born in a prison,
and he spent the first 3 years of his life there.

- Do you often say
that you were born in prison?

- Yes.

- And, what do people say?
- That it’s very weird.

He’s 9 now. He lives in Biriatu,
and he visits his parents once a month.

Gari is not the only child with a backpack
we'll meet today in Ur Handitan.

Should you like to make this trip with us,
welcome!

- Malen, you've always met your dad in jail.
- Yes.

- How many years has he been in prison?
- 20.

- 20 years, and how old are you?
- 18.

- He phones Aiur twice a week,
the same as me,
because he can make 8 calls.

We cannot phone him...

- During those car trips...
- Yes.

- What do you think about?

- About when we are going to arrive,
whether he is fine...

Why we must fill a part
of their sanction...

Why we are forced
to make so many kilometres...

- Do you feel well treated in prison?

- It depends. Sometimes you are treated well,
other times they're too strict...

- How would you describe a jail?

- So, dirty and old.
- Yeah?

- Dark, there's no natural light.

- Cold and dark.

Ur handitan
CHILDREN WITH A BACKPACK

- Gari, wait!

- That's it... Have a good time, ok?

- Ok, be calm!

The bus will depart from Errenteria.

Today Gari is going with aunt Txipi.

- Come on...
- Regards!

- Bye bye!
- Goodbye!

- Help Maite, help your grandmother, yes.

- Auntie, the homework,
the homework, yes yes yes...

- Do you have them ? You didn't
bring anything, did you?
You'll do them on Sunday at home, ok?

- No, no, I brought some.

- Did you bring your homework?
- Yes.

- And where will we do them, in Algeciras?
- No...

- You have everything
in your backpack.
- Yes.

- Yes, yes, of course.

- Gari, where were you born?
- In Granada, in jail.

- And then you had to move
to another prison, right?

- I think so, in a little while,
from there to Valencia.

- And that, for example..., you tell people
you were born in prison?

- Yes.

- And how do you say it?
- As a curiosity, as an oddity...

- As an oddity.

- Do you tell your friends about it?
- Yes, I do.

- And what do they say?
- That it's so weird...

- That it's weird.
- Yes.

- And do they ask a lot of questions?
- Yes, a lot.

- What do they want to know?

- Once and again, how I feel,
how I make the trips,

how many kilometres, and so on.

- You said that being born
in jail is an oddity...

- Yes.

- What kind of oddity?
How do you see it?

- Sad.

- Sad?
- Yes.

- Yes, yes, yes, I have my homework.

Well... on the bus.

For Monday

- Sometimes, sometimes he calls
when we're not expecting it

and some other times we're
waiting for his calls.

- Do you have the chance
to talk to your dad on the phone?

- Yes, for 5 minutes, but yes.

- Eeeh, on weekends.

- Here it's rainy too...

...and otherwise umbrella and coat.

- How do you communicate with your daddy?

- By phone, letter and visits.

- How long are the phone calls,
do you know?

- 5 minutes.
- 5 minutes long?

- And are they short or long for you?

- Short

- So, you find them short?
- Yes.

- The call is suddenly cut off, isn't it?
- Yes.

- Dad says 'It's gonna be cut off!
Gonna cut off!' And... It's cut off.

- Yes.
- And how do you feel in that moment?

"I haven't told him yet what
happened to me yesterday!"

- You often tell me that...
- Yes.

'Is it over? Damn... I love you!
Yes, cheers, I love you, bye!'

'Is it over already?'
Yes.

- What does he say?
- Is it raining there also, in Algeciras?

- Yes.
- Yes? Jesus!

- Do you know what their daily life is like
inside the prison?

- No.
- Do they tell you or...

You don't ask them?
- Sometimes... but I don't know very much.

- What have they told you?
- To be honest... they haven't told me much.

- Don't worry... Why do you think
they haven't told you?

- Because for me it is not...
Because I wouldn't like it... That's why.

- Yes, thank you.
- Wait, where is grandpa?

- Look, here they are, look!
- Hi!

- Hello!
- Hi there!

After stopping in Donostia,
there is another stop in Bilbo.

Gari's other grandfather is there,
ready to greet his grandson.

- Now, in this interview...

It's true that you feel down
and that all your emotions get out,

but otherwise, in your daily life,
we see you as a strong boy.

- Yes.
- And happy... How do you do that?

- I think that they will come (home)
some day... and I stay calm.

- What helps you moving forward?
- Grandma and grandpa.

- Hello!
- Hi!

- Tell him.
- Hello Ixone, hello!

- Hello, how are you?
- Fine.

- Will we sit down here?
- No, sorry, you have to sit in the back....

That one has to be free.
That's why we are here...

- I have the championship
on Saturday and Sundays, right?

- Yes.
- And I can play and all sometimes,

but other times I can't play

because I have to come
to visit mom and dad.

But of course, it makes sense,
there will be another championships too.

I'd rather see mom and dad
than play the championship.

- I was always asking when he was going to come.
And I had a rather critical time...

I was down or... and mom and dad, to calm me,
they told me that dad would come to the next

verse championship with me.
I accepted it happily but later on

I realized it was a lie
to make me calm down.

- Your mom told you that your dad was going to be
in the next verse championship.

- Yes, with me.
- But... He couldn't go to the last

verse championship.
- No.

- What do you think during those car trips?
- When we'll arrive, whether he's gonna be ok...

- Why are you worried about your father?

- Well... he gets sick often.

- Does he tell you... the difficulties
he is going through there, or not?

- Sometimes yes, and other times no.

- Do you think he doesn't tell you
everything, in order to protect you?

- I don't know... but he doesn't say everything.

- Hize, interview.

In Murcia, in prison...

- We agreed on the phone
to watch cartoons at the same time

and to look at the moon at the same time too.

At the same time to watch the cartoons
and look at the moon.

-Oh! You watch the same cartoons then,

at the same time.
- Yes!

- That's almost as if you were together!

And looking at the moon at the same time,
that's almost like being together too!

- He makes two calls to Aiur every week,

and another two to me, because he has
8 phone calls.
We can't phone him...

- And your friends know where
your dad and mom are, don't they?

- Yes, indeed.
- And your teachers as well?

- Yes, they do.
- And so... Do they understand it?

- Yes.
- Ok.

- Do you speak with the teachers about this?
Do they ask about it?

- No.

- I have had a few problems,

when the teacher knows...

It seems... I don't know if it's fear or...
A bit of worry, and then the teacher changes

the relationship with you.

Your teacher knows a very intimate
thing of your life...

Now they will know, if they're watching!

- Depending on how the teacher is, he/she
might say:

'Oh, poor little child' or something...
And that's a bit like...

I don't like that.

- When Nuria, your teacher, proposed to
go and see your parents in prison,

what did you think?

- Yes, I thought it was a good idea
and I felt happy about it.

-And I remember when we were coming
from the first visit, I said...

When we were sitting in the circle
first thing in the morning I said:

'You don't know how beautiful
Haizea's mother is...

and what precious rings she has,
and the beautiful necklace she has and...'

And when I said that -I still remember
the look in the children's eyes...

And from that moment on, the kid started

talking more naturally
about the situation.

- Your teacher has told us that when you were younger

and the other kids spoke
about their parents, you used to get sad.

- Yes.
- Why?

- Because their parents are free
and mine are not, and then I get sad...

- When Haizea got into the classroom,
I thought 'I meet the other parents...

I talk about the kids with them.
I want to be with these parents too.'

How come am I not going to tell
these parents about

how their kid is doing at school?,
or what wee prank she is doing,

or how she is behaving?

- The other kids have meetings
between the teachers and the parents.

- Yes.
- And you also have them...

- Yes.

- What was the reaction of the parents?

- Look, as a mother, I perhaps...
When I entered there and I saw

the two of them together?
The look of the mother was incredible...

- You won't ever forget that
first visit, right?
-No, no way, never.

- Do you ever feel bad
or down at school

and your teacher is there to help you?
- Yes, sometimes I feel sad,

and I get out of the class,
and Nuria (the teacher) sees me.

- So you have her support?
- Yes.

- Has someone ever told you something about the special
attention you give to Haizea's parents?

- No, never.

- I am sure it's not easy to keep
an ethical distance, right?

-No, it is not.
It is not easy.

It's not easy at all.
- Why is that?

- Well, I am not really sure...

Sometimes you have to draw a line between
what you think and what you'd say.

You have to draw the line, right?

At the end of the day, I'm a teacher and
I can't mix things, right?

There has to be a line between
your personal stuff, your experiencies,

and what you feel for that family,
if you know what I mean...

- What would you like to be when
you grow up?
- I dont know.

- A cook maybe?
- Maybe, I'm not sure.

- What then?
- I don't know.

- A musician maybe?
- Yes, maybe.

I like Huntza very much,
to listen to it... Yeah.

- Do you?
- Yes, I like it a lot.

And Anje Duhalde.
- Oh, really?

Yes, yes. And...

- So mummy and daddy will be happy
if you get good marks.

- Yes.
- Very good!

- Well, I guess.
I'll tell them tomorrow.

- Of course!
- They don't know yet.

(The song 'Malen', Ken Zazpi)

- Will you tell us about the story of
the song 'Malen' by Ken Zazpi?

- It was written by my mum when she was pregnant
with me, and they named it after me.

- What is it about?

- About a trip to the prison, isn't it?
The trip, and then... 40 minutes.

- When I was a child, for example,
I didn't like the song. I was ashamed...

We used to go to see Ken Zazpi
life, on a concert...

And I'd hide myself, ashamed,
when they'd play that song, Malen.

Because they'd say, from the microphone
'Today Malen, the kid, is among us

and this is for her blablabla...'
And I was so ashamed I'd hide. But now...

Now I like it
when they play it.

- The song says that the thick glass
won't take your smile away.

It hasn't taken yours.

- No, I don't know. You keep smiling, don't you?

Malen, 18 years old,
she hasn't met her father outside the prison.

He is in Almeria. He was in Jaen before.
So he is even farther now.

What are Malen's memories
from her childhood like?

- Do you have the feeling of having missed
the best years you could have had with your dad?

- The best moments I had with my dad
were in Jaen, and...

I played with him there, had our moments
on our visits, and all of them...

Those are my best memories.
At the end of the day...

They aren't like other children's:
'I've gone to the park with my daddy,

and it was the best day of my life!'
Well, mines are like...

Those years,
those years in Jaen.

They were tough years for him, but...

I have good memories
of those years, yes.

- I'm very good when I'm with him,
but when I have to leave...

Saying good bye is sad,
because you hug him and then

you don't see him in a month.
- I know, I know.

- It's like... nothing until January!

- Can you see any evolution in your personality,
your questions, your concerns...?

- Well, the older I get, the more
aware of the situation I am...

And about the reality, well...

I have more questions too:

Why do we have to be punished too?

Why are we forced to travel so many kilometres?

- Do you think some people want the dispersion policy
to be used against you too, as a part of the sanction of your dad?

- Yes, because he could serve his time
in Castellon or Cordoba (Spanish State),

or in Zaballa (in the Basque Country).
It's just revenge.

- To know that your relatives will spend
8 hours on the road and...

...and then they have to go back for another 8 hours,
no matter the weather...

To know that they're doing
such a thing because of him...

That, that's a burden for the prisoner.
And to make us go through all that...

The only possible reason
is anger, rage.

A rage or anger
we don't necessarily have to feel.

- I am a bit... sleepy.

- Yes, are you?

- We'll have the family vis-à-vis at 10:30,

then the one behind the glass at 13:00,

and then you'll have the 4-hours-visit
with daddy and mummy in the afternoon.

- And the bus at 8pm.
- Yes, we'll be leaving at 8pm,

...we'll get on the bus and back
to the Basque Country, yes.

- You're living 2 lifes at the same time,
aren't you?

Because there's your life here, and then

you've got your other life of
prison visits, road trips...

Everything, the whole month, conditioned by visits.
That's like having two lifes.

- The 'glass' is worse because...

- You can't touch mummy and daddy...

- But then, my mum works in the library,
she takes care of the library,

and then, they give here points if she
looks after the library for 3 months,

and she told me they'll give her an extra visit
if she works in the library for 3 months!

- Really? Jesus!

- Nerea...
- Yes, her friend Nerea...

- She was here the other day...
16 years since she last hugged mum,

...because she used to come to the visits, but
just to the ones behind the glass.
- Very good!

- Yes, and after 15 years,
for example... Granddad Juanjo.

- Yes, yes.
- How long..? A lot!

- Yeah, with the glass...
- And uncle Loren.

- Yes, uncle Loren too.
Because he can't...

- Because they are people...
that don't come very often.

- Yes, and then of course,
they have to stay behind the glass.

All the friends...
Only the family can be with her.

Just close family.

- You visit your dad once a month,
in Castellon.

- Where do you go to visit daddy?
- To Murcia.

- To Murcia... That's far away, isn't it?
- Yes.

- How many hours (drive)?
- Eight.

Takes us 8 hours to get there,
and we go by car.

Play with the tablet, look at the sky,
and listen to some music.

I feel dizzy sometimes...

...and I throw up.
- You get sick sometimes, don't you?

- And can Aiur go on trips too?

- Yes.

- You two are quite good,
aren't you?

- Yes.

- It was daddy who made that
for the birds. Did you know that?

- Yes. But they won't fit, because
daddy made a small hole...

- Well, of couse, it's not for vultures Aiur!

It's for wee birds,
like wrens and stuff.

- Wrens?

- Don't you know what a wren is?

- Yes, what granddad drinks...

- And... when you see your daddy...

after having crossed those 9 doors...

What do you do when you see him?

- I jump on him!

- When is your next visit?

- At the end of January.

- He is in the South of France, in Arles,

in a prison... in a prison for convicted people.

- Take a lot of food, take the bags,
and go.

- We have to prepare the bag...

...with everything we're going to give him...

We always have to prepare that bag.

- But yeah, hopefully.

- Which concerns, what doubts do you have now?

- Well... doubts? I don't know.

- I mean, about the situation of your parents...

- Oh, yes, so...

I wonder how they spend their day,

what they do, what...

I wonder if they live well.

- Do you ask your grandparents about it?

- Sometimes...

- What do they tell you?

- They tell me the truth... always.

- What are your questions, Hize?

- Why daddy is in prison, concretely.

- Yes, she's been asking that
more and more specifically.

We used to give her more general answers,
but the older she gets,

the more details she wants to know,

and we give them to her.
I think you have to tell children the truth.

What does Hize's mum mean by 'telling the truth'?

Do these underage kids know...

...what their parents did
before going to prison?

And if they know,
what do they think about it?

The aim of this program is not
to ask children about what

their parents did. The aim of
this program is to analyze this:

How the exceptional penitentiary policy
that is applied to their parents

affects this kids.

One of the consequences of this
penitentiary policy of exception is

that prisoners are kept far from their homeland:

54 prisoners are
between 100 and 390 kms away,

103 prisoners
between 400 and 690 kms away,

211 prisoners
between 700 and 1100 kms away.

The children we're interviewing today
have to travel all those kilometres twice...

- one way, to go to see their parents,
and then to return home.

We're talking about that
penitentiary policy of exception
in the program today.

What these children know about
what their parents did...

...and what they think about it,

...which would stay in their intimacy...

That would take another whole program.

- Your mum has told us that being 14 now,
well, you're growing up and you've started...

...searching on the internet. What do you search?
What are your concerns now?

- Well, I saw when I was 11 or 12, and
it wasn't really something I needed, but...

...I was curious, and I started searching...

...without knowing what I could find.
- What did you search?

- Did you googled your father's name?
- Yes.

- And a sentence did come up...
...or an article?

- Yes, but a newspaper was saying
one thing and...

...another one another thing, and well...
It was stuff about my dad. So I didn't...

I didn't know what to believe...

- What was your reaction?

- I didn't say anything, not a word, but
I did tell my mum after that, and...

Well, there are different versions
about it.

- And has your mother explained everything?
- Yes.

- Is there a question you repeat
among those you ask your mum?

- Yes, 'When is he coming back?'

- And? What's the answer for that question?
- I don't know. 'Soon'. That's what she says.

- What have they told you about the years
your dad has to spend in prison?

- So... 40 years.

- Wow, that's some time!
- Yes.

- So?
- So... I don't know.

- Why so many years?

- Do your classmates, or your group of friends,
ask much about your father?

- They used to ask when we were younger, yes.

'Why is your daddy in prison?'
And I found it hard to answer...

...because I didn't really know,
and they didn't neither...

We still just know what they tell us at home.

My mum used to tell me to tell them
they should ask it at home.

Because at the end of the day, they're
going to tell you in one way...

...and my mum said she wasn't entitled
to tell other kids...

...to talk about those things...
That it was better to speak about it at home, and then...

...I used to tell my friends:

'I don't know, my mum says
you should ask your parents.'

I usually answered that and
at the end, well...

My friends stopped asking
at some stage,

so I guess they were told
something at home, and...

- I've also... To pass the time,
I've brought the tablet,

...headphones for the music...
- Are they new?

- They're a present from granddad.
- Are they? Very good!

- And then my homework and a book.
- Very good.

- Yes, and I'll do my homework
on our way back on the bus, after seeing mum.

- Are you?
- Yes, yes...

- Well sure, they have to be done by Monday...

- Yes, that's it. I can't do them
on Monday morning...

- No, no, no, of course...

- What's the atmosphere like during the trips?
- Good atmosphere, happy...

...and I laugh a lot somethimes.
- Do you? What about?

- With the bus drivers.
- Why?

- Because... They try to entertain me,
and they do entertain me.

- Are you one of the youngest ones?
- Yes.

(They sing together)

- We're getting the beds ready...

Garikoitz will sleep here,
this is for Maitetxu and that's for me.

And Larraitz. And that other one...

They get their beds ready before dinner.

We're having dinner now, and well...
We'll arrive later on and... until tomorrow.

- Jesus!

- And how is the trip going, Jare?
Good?

- You can't wait to see your daddy, can you?
- Yeah...

- She was in Larrabetzu today,
saying she wanted to see daddy.

- Oh, yeah?
- Tomorrow, tomorrow morning, soon.

- Will you see your daddy tomorrow morning?
(She shakes her head 'no')

- When then?
- In the afternoon!

- Oh!

- Yes, because she'll come with me, won't she?

- Not tomorrow, because we have the relatives' visit.
You'll be in the long one, and we have the one in the small room.

- And then 'cohabitation', and glass,
in the morning and in the afternoon.

- But not the glass...
The glass isn't...

...as nice as the relatives' visit.
- No, it's not.

You can't touch your mummy and daddy.
Yeah... That's why, isn't it?

- What do you prefer, Jare?

- Oh! To be with daddy!
Yes, and to kiss daddy!

- Yes?

- Shall we open it?

- But Jare, talk like a 4-year-old kid.
Not like a wee baby.

- How old are you? 4?
(She shows four fingers)

- Such a big girl!
- But she's a bit unruly now...

...and it seems...
- You must be tired... Of course.

- Jare gets angry sometimes, isn't she?
When she has to say good bye to daddy...

- Yeah?
(She nods)

- She's messing around now...

- Well Gari, good bye darling.
See you tomorrow, ok? Good night.

Some of the relatives get off the bus in
El Puerto de Santamaria (Cadiz).

The rest have to keep traveling
110 kilometres more until Algeciras.

- Well, we'll be there soon!
- I hope so...

...because we started at 5pm yesterday,
and we're still here...

- Yes, yes...
- There are still one or two hours left...

- Yes, it's been 14 hours now...

- To have to drive 1,600 km
with two children, on the car...

...and seeing the risk of having an accident...
You think it might be better to take a plane,

even if it's much more expensive...

Traffic accidents are, of course,
the most dangerous consequences of the dispersal policy.

It has caused dozens of deaths and injuries in recent years.

Relatives also consider taking a plane...

but that's much more expensive.

- The thing is that they've changed the timetable
of the plane and...

...it doesn't suit us anymore, does it?

- Yeah, and it used to be late sometimes,
and we couldn't get there on time.

- Yes, and what happens if you arrive a bit late?

- You can't get in.

- But well, sometimes we arrive on time and
we still get in late, don't we?

- Yes!
- Because they open the doors late...

...but well, that's how prison is, isn't it?
- Yes...

- We tell you that very often:
'That's how prison works.'

- Do you know that I once counted
all the doors we have to go through

before we get to see daddy?

- We go through a door, and then
we have to wait there, don't we?

- Yes!

- Then they open another door, we go through it,
and we have to wait again...

- And we do that nine times!

- Go through 9 doors,
and we have to wait a lot.

- What happens when you arrive to prison?

- We have to be there half an hour earlier,
and we have to show our IDs and the fingerprints...

We go through a door after that, and they search us
with a metal detector... A handheld detector.

And then, we get in and we have to wait
in another room, and we get in after that.

- The screws are there, aren't they?
Prison officers.

How is your relationship with them?

- Well... There are lots of them,
and each of them is a different person, you know?

They usually are quite respectful, even if
we've had some problems with some of them...

But they're usually respectful.

- When I was going through your homework,
last summer, I found...

...very nice drawings, and very nice essays.
And you often said that thing...

'We've been with daddy at the weekend'
'It's been great...'

And there was a drawing... I thought
it was special. Do you remember it?

- Yes, it was an angry screw.

- How is the treatment you get from them?

- I don't know...
We don't have a relationship like... So...

They tell us 'Get in!' or 'Wait!' or...
'What do you have there?'

- And why was he angry?

With those big teeth...
- Yes.

- Why was he angry?
- They're always angry.

- Prison officers are always angry?
Do you think?

- Yes.
- Are they? Why do you think so?

- I don't know.
- Are they too serious?

- Yes.
- Yes?

- Do you feel they treat you well in prison?

- It depends on who... I do sometimes,
but they're too rough some other times.

- Do you prepare each visit, each hour
you spend with your dad?

- Well, each visit is different,
it has different things...

There's a funny thing about visits.
Each of them is special, and intense, but...

...it's difficult to remember just one visit
as 'the special one'.

They all are special,
and you can't remember one as the best one.

- How would you describe a prison?

- Iron bars, walls, the sound of the doors...

...and because my dad has always been in solitary confinment,
we have to go to that wing.

And it's very small, dark.
There's no daylight.

- Dirty and old.

- Cold and dark.

- Have you ever seen your dad's cell?
- No.

- Has he told you what it's like?
- No.

- Have you ever asked him?
- No.

- Why not?

- Well... I'd rather spend the time we have
talking about other stuff.

- How is it when you see him?
- Since I was a child...

...always, they open the door, and
I always run towards him, I still do...

...and he takes me in his arms, always.

- Aiur and me jump on daddy...

...and we play to a lot of things.

- The question people always ask is
how my dad is, and even though
I answered it so many times...

...it's still the most difficult
question to answer.

- What would you say you need for that
hour and a half to be 'well spent'?

What do you need to think...

'it's been a well spent
an hour and a half'?

- To share love...

...to enjoy it.
Well, sometimes it's necessary to have bad times too.

- Have you ever felt... Have you felt
the need to stay away...

...from your dad and the trips, maybe?

- No, I've never felt that.

We all try to keep as close as we can

to the person who is inside.

- Then, at the end, a screw comes and says
'It's over!'...

- Yes, or 'Come on, finish' or 'Time to leave',
and that's when...

...it's like a rage, anger...

- A prison officer, from a microphone.

- It's like when I was a child...
I want to stay with him.

- I hug him,
and start tidying everything up.

- And... that 'good bye' is never easy.
Even if we want to leave the prison,

...we don't want the visit to end.

- Because I have to wait a whole month
to see my daddy again.

- The years go by and you don't see the end...

Don't you give up?

- No, you don't.
You always have to remain hopeful.

You don't rely on false hopes, but
you're always hopeful about...

'Let's see if they bring him closer' or
something, you know?

'Let's see if everything changes...'
I don't know...

You always have that... hope.
You have to remain hopeful.

If you lose it...
You don't have anything left.

- Can you think of a time
you visited your dad...

...that you'll always remember?

- We went on his birthday, last year.

It was a week day,
I missed school...

...I wanted to go on that day.

He writes a poem for me every year
for my birthday, so I...

...I wrote one for him. It was nice.
- Do you remember the poem?

- Yes.
- Would you sing it?

- Years have gone by,
some time now,

and our love is what
drives us every day.

Being far away
still strenghts the relationship.

They won't see us sad,
we'll always sing happily,

because we don't care if
they're 40 years, or 102.

because we don't care if
they're 40 years, or 102.

- I want to get my driving license,
because I can't take the bus for years,

...and I'd like to go by myself.
I think it could be nice.

And on my arrival, I'd say to my mum and dad:

'This has been my first trip on my own!'
That's why I'm excited about it.

- To get your driving license, then?
- Yes.