1985

1985 is a shared temporal frame for scenes in Tijuana and New York City. In Tijuana, Adán Barrera reflects on a tacit arrangement with the Institutional Revolutionary Party; by December, the narrative has shifted to Sean Callan working on a board in New York. The year links distinct strands of the story without making them a single episode.

Tijuana and a Political Accommodation

In Tijuana, 1985 is associated with Adán Barrera’s reflection on a deal he has just made with the Institutional Revolutionary Party. Its terms are conveyed through an unspoken exchange: he brings a briefcase of cash to breakfast and leaves without it, while the money remains under the table. The tacit understanding is that, despite American pressure, Tío will be allowed to return home from exile in Honduras.

New York in December

The narrative also locates Sean Callan in New York City in December 1985. He planes a board in one smooth pass, then steps back to examine his work. The brief, concrete scene gives the year a different register from the political bargaining in Tijuana: here, the focus is Callan’s physical task rather than an explicit negotiation.

The Year as a Narrative Frame

Together, the dated settings make 1985 a point of orientation across separate plot strands. The Tijuana scene places money and an unstated political understanding at the center of Adán Barrera’s world; the December scene follows Callan in New York. The chronology establishes their place within the same year, while leaving their different circumstances distinct.