Synopsis:
Gabriel Jesus Sandoval Chavez grew up American, a kid in the inner city of Chicago --- getting by in school, competing as a talented amateur boxer, working at McDonald’s… and joining a gang to make...
Gabriel Jesus Sandoval Chavez grew up American, a kid in the inner city of Chicago --- getting by in school, competing as a talented amateur boxer, working at McDonald’s… and joining a gang to make friends. When gang members invited him along on an armed robbery of a local grocery store in September 1990, he accepted. They got the money; no one was hurt. He was caught a week later, and sent to prison for three and a half years, his world shattered, his parents stunned.
Split Decision is the story of a father who brought his family to Chicago to keep his sons out of the Mexican mines where his own father and grandfather had worked. It is the story of a teenager whose reality was not relief in avoiding the life his father left behind, but the peer pressure he experienced on the streets of Chicago. And it is the story of a talented young man seeking redemption for a serious mistake, while continuing to pay a price many years beyond what he could have imagined.
After his release from prison in 1994, Jesus feels an unwelcome pull from his street friends, and he soon moves to Austin, Texas to start a new life. He picks up boxing again, and shows so much raw talent that his new trainer, Richard Lord, convinces him to go pro after only two amateur fights. Without a title or a professional record, Jesus "El Matador" Chavez is able to get matches with the best fighters in his weight class. They are looking to bolster their records – but Jesus earns surprise victories, time after time. In only two years he is the North American Boxing Federation super-featherweight champ. Friends and supporters, drawn to the genuine, unassuming fighter, presume the world championship is next.
There is only one problem. Jesus was born in Mexico, and he is still an undocumented alien. And Congress has passed two tough laws in 1996 that make it virtually impossible for even long-time legal immigrants to stay in this country after committing a serious crime. Despite his clear rehabilitation and the fully legal status of his family, Jesus is deported in October 1997, leaving behind the new life he has worked so hard to build.
Living in the high desert of Chihuahua with his paternal grandparents, Jesus finds that he has to struggle for acceptance in the country of his birth --- he is viewed as an outsider, a Chicano ("pocho") with a strange accent. He arrives unfamiliar with the basics of Mexican history and traditions, a "matador" who has never seen a bullfight. Still, he is initially optimistic that he’ll be back in the U.S. soon – his promoter’s legal team is investigating waivers, and pursuing a pardon for the armed robbery with the state of Illinois. As he deepens his relationship with his independent and loyal grandparents, and begins training under the bleachers of the local town gym, weeks stretch into months in the small town of Delicias.
Forced to accept matches with weaker opponents, his qualifications as number one contender for the world championship are questioned by the large Mexican boxing public and press. Jesus finally gets a chance to prove himself by accepting a match in Mexico City against the heavily favored Mexican national champion. Jesus’ future will be determined by two critical decisions: that of Illinois Governor Jim Edgar on his pardon request (the decision is made on Edgar’s very last day in office), and that of the "hometown judges" at his critical match with the national champion.
"Split Decision" is an unusual documentary: it is both a compelling portrait of a resilient and courageous athlete, and a multi-layered and suspenseful narrative, set against the backdrop of important social issues. The story-telling approach is honest and straightforward, yet the cumulative effect of the people and places experienced is lyrical and rich. This is a bittersweet film that leaves the audience thinking about the issues it raises long afterwards.
"The irony of Jesus’ exile is that he represents the wan hope of the American criminal justice system – a male youth who commits an act of violence, accepts his punishment, grows up, and rehabilitates himself. But the law says that only citizens rate a second chance." Jan Reid, Texas Monthly, April 1998
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