Lucky Star 1997

Rafael is a kind, good-hearted butcher who leads a lonely life after he accidentally castrates himself while cutting meat several years earlier, a fallow period that has kept him from building a family. One pre-dawn drive to his shop takes a sudden turn when he intervenes as a young man harasses a woman. He pulls over, steps in, and escorts the stranger to safety. The woman, Marina, known by the nickname One-Eye for losing an eye in a childhood accident, shares a desperate, hard-won history with him. She explains how she and her partner, Daniel, grew up in an orphanage, where abandonment by her father left her without much of a safety net. Despite her rough start, Marina is determined to give her unborn child a chance at a real family life, even if that means stepping away from Daniel’s volatile world.

Daniel is in jail when Rafael quietly offers Marina a lifeline: he will care for her and the baby. Marina accepts, though she warns that Daniel may come back, and she might not know what to do when that moment arrives. With their hopes aligned for a stable, nurturing home, the two adults set out to fulfill a dream that once felt unattainable.

Rafael’s kindness toward Marina—who gradually proves that there is more than one way to be a man and to experience love—helps both of them heal. Together they raise Estrella, Marina’s daughter, whom Rafael comes to regard as his own. The family’s early years are marked by a fragile, hopeful happiness that lightens their lonely lives.

Years pass, and the fragile balance is disrupted by Daniel’s sudden return from prison, battered and seeking shelter. He asks to stay, and Rafael, despite lingering reservations, allows him to linger for a few days that stretch into weeks. The trio—two adults and a child—form an uneasy, improvised family, each carrying their own scars and doubts.

Marina’s trust in this arrangement becomes a flashpoint. She isn’t afraid of Daniel, but her feelings complicate the situation. To test the boundaries, Rafael visits his sister’s countryside home, and returns to find Marina and Daniel together in bed. He wrestles with anger and longing, then makes a choice: he cannot erase their history, but he can accept a nontraditional family life. The three stay together with Estrella, creating a fragile, unconventional household.

Daniel, now helping in the butcher’s shop and trying to fit into an already complicated dynamic, eventually leaves again. But not long after, his return—and the trouble that follows him—forces Marina to make difficult decisions about loyalty and love. She leaves to follow Daniel, and Rafael is left to mind the household and care for Estrella.

Time moves on, and Rafael discovers from the news that Daniel has been involved in a robbery and is back in jail. Marina returns, pregnant again, and the couple welcomes a second daughter into their life. Rafael visits Daniel in prison, and a mutual respect grows between them as Daniel’s health deteriorates; he reveals the weight of his suffering, including a rape he endured in prison, and he asks Marina for relief from his pain.

Daniel’s condition worsens, and he is released to spend his remaining days at home. He begs Marina to help him die, and she reluctantly complies by shooting him to end his misery. Marina dies before she can be charged with the act, and Rafael is left to shoulder the burden of raising their two daughters alone.