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Valley director’s friendship with incarcerated teen is the focus of his latest film

In 2012, California court interpreter and filmmaker Rodrio Reyes met Sansón Noe Andrade, a young Mexican immigrant facing a murder trial for his driving role in a shooting.

Andrade, then-19, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentencing became Reyes’ opportunity to chronicle a tale of friendship, mass incarceration and immigration.

Now, after 10 years of filming, Mexican American director and Merced native Reyes has released his documentary “Sansón and Me.” Denied permission to conduct on-camera interviews with Andrade, Reyes blends fiction and nonfiction elections to show how Andrade’s past in Mexico led up to his imprisonment.

Reyes, 40, describes the documentary as a “portrait of his friendship” with Andrade. And he encourages viewers to watch the film with an open mind.

“When you’re dealing with stories of incarceration, people have a lot of preconceptions,” Reyes said. “We live in just a complicated society around justice. People want a punishment story. They want a good guy and bad guy.”

The film comes amid an ongoing discussion about the prison system and its over-representation of people of color.

Blacks and Hispanics represent 32% of the U.S. population, but consist of 56% of the incarcerated population. The United States also has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 25% of the world’s prison population.

Reyes said that the purpose for the film is not to exonerate Andrade, but for viewers to consider the factors and trauma that may have led to his decision.

“There’s so many other people like Sanson, but the problem is that we as a society don’t want to hear their problem…He’s only asking for fairness. He’s not saying he’s a saint, hero or did not do anything wrong. He’s just saying ‘treat me like a human,’” Reyes said.

How the friendship began

Reyes first met Andrade as his Spanish interpreter, during Andrade’s three-week trial in Merced County Superior court.

Andrade pleaded not guilty in court, saying he had been asked for a ride by the shooter — his brother-in-law — and didn’t know his intent. He eventually turned down a plea deal that would have lessened his sentence to 15 years in prison. Andrade lost the subsequent trial and was convicted of killing 21-year-old Tommy Hensen.

According to the Merced Sun-Star archives, prosecutors said Hensen’s killing was retaliation for a double homicide that he wasn’t even involved in. Hensen also was not a member of a gang, prosecutors said.

Andrade’s public defenders argued their client didn’t know the shooter had a gun, saying he was duped into driving before the crime happened. The defense also maintained Andrade had a slight mental disability, saying he was adamant about not knowing a shooting was going to happen.

Reyes, who grew up in Mexico City and Merced, said he felt a connection to Andrade because of their similar backgrounds.

“I was next to him all this time, and I didn’t get to engage and treat him like a person,” Reyes said.

After the sentencing, Reyes reached out to Andrade through mail and asked if he would be willing to collaborate on a film about his life. Andrade agreed, and the two began exchanging hundreds of letters.

Unable to interview Andrade on camera, Reyes traveled to Tecomán, Mexico and met the young man’s family. For the film, he cast them to recreate scenes of his life.

Rodrigo Reyes
Rodrigo Reyes

Fifth feature film

”Sanson and Me” is Reyes’ fifth feature film, and it has been screening at festivals internationally since last year. Over the years he’s been recognized with several awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Creative Capital Award. His films have been screened at prestigious film festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival.

Following a film screening earlier this month at UC Berkeley, Reyes sat down with Danny Murillo, associate director and co-founder of the Berkeley Underground Scholars — an organization that helps incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals transition into higher education.

While the group mostly focuses on current students at UC Berkeley, it also recruits incarcerated people who want to continue their education after being released. In the case of individuals sentenced to life, the organization advocates for their release.

Andrade, Murillo said, would be an ideal individual for their programming. Reyes said he planned to inform Andrade of the program.

In Sacramento, Project Rebound provides similar services for formerly incarcerated students. The resources include counseling, mentoring, academic resources, and career development.

Project Rebound is currently an equity program on nine California State University campuses, with plans to expand additional schools.