Down the Rabbit Hole (Fiesta en la Madriguera) follows 10-year-old Tochtli’s life as he begins to discover the dark side of his father’s business. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Tochtli, a boy raised in opulence, has a doting father, Yolcaut Rodríguez, who ensures that he gets everything he wants and more.
Tochtli does not have a mother or siblings. He lives in a large house with his father and his subordinates; Tochtli is not allowed to step out of the house.
The house even includes a zoo, and Yolcaut brings Tochtli all the exotic species that he wants.
Tochtli does not have friends his age. He is homeschooled by Mazatzin, an aspiring writer. Tochtli is quite knowledgeable for his age.
Tochtli has yet to fully comprehend the true nature of his father’s business. Yolcaut is a drug lord, the head of the Sinaloa Cartel, who holds sway over the local government.
Yolcaut employs threats and violence to manage his business, but not without shielding Tochtli from the darker aspects of it.
Yolcaut’s power is threatened when the new Mexican government launches a surprise operation to locate and target drug lords like Yolcaut.
Yolcaut thinks about pausing drug distribution for a while, but his associate, Paula, advises him not to do that because it would not be good for business.
A worried Yolcaut decides to go on a trip for a few days with Tochtli. As per Tochtli’s wish, they go to Honduras to see hippos.
However, as Yolcaut is a wanted man, they have to change their names. For the first time in his life, Tochtli gets to be on a plane and see the world outside the house.
On their trip, Yolcaut tries to shoot wild animals, leading to Tochtli pulling out a gun of his own, which he found in a secret room of his house, to mimic his father.
When his father takes away the gun from him, Tochtli questions him about keeping secrets from him, to which Yolcaut replies that all truths are not good.
However, the explanation does not satisfy Tochtli because his father has taught him that people in a gang do not keep secrets from each other.
The trip continues. Tochtli not only sees the hippos, but Yolcaut also smuggles two of them to Mexico to keep in their zoo.
Unfortunately, the hippos fall sick and need to be put down, but Tochtli wants his father, who always gives him everything, to save their lives.
No matter what he does, Yolcaut fails to reason with Tochtli. Yolcaut then decides to kill the hippos, and when Tochtli refuses to leave, Yolcaut shoots the animals in front of him.
Although he understands the concept of death, he witnesses it firsthand for the first time.
Ending explained:
The beginning of the end
After the incident, Tochtli and Yolcaut return home, but Tochtli is so angry with his father that he refuses to speak to him.
Tochtli’s silent treatment infuriates Yolcaut, who is already facing problems with the government targeting him.
Yolcaut then finds out that some of his subordinates have been killed, which makes matters worse. Despite this, life goes on as usual.
Tochtli adopts a new identity as a Japanese samurai named Usagi. He is also introduced to his father’s girlfriend, Cuazalotl.
One night, Tochtli wakes up to his father screaming, and it is because of Mazatzin, who had earlier given Tochtli a dictionary in a gesture that resembled a goodbye.
Mazatzin has written about Yolcaut, his men, and his house for a magazine, revealing everyone’s identity except Tochtli’s, who was important to him.
Yolcaut’s resignation
Mazatzin’s betrayal hurts both Yolcaut and Tochtli. Yolcaut finds himself in hot water due to Mazatzin’s article.
This time, Paula advises him to disappear, but Yolcaut is unwilling to do so. He is determined to find Mazatzin and make him pay.
However, he reminds Paula of a past conversation about the most important matter, possibly Tochtli’s safety.
Eventually, Tochtli forgives Yolcaut, and things return to normal between them, but Yolcaut’s behavior suggests that the end is near and that everything is about to change.
On New Year’s, with an air of resignation, Yolcaut asks Tochtli to be himself—a Mexican boy named Tochtli, not Usagi, a Japanese samurai.
Tochtli’s life changes
Everyone parties and enjoys themselves at Yolcaut’s New Year party. Yolcaut toasts to his loyal gang members and dedicates the night to them.
He then tells Tochtli that it is time for him to learn how to handle a gun. Yolcaut teaches Tochtli how to shoot and allows him to fire into the air.
This turns out to be the last activity Tochtli and Yolcaut do together because soon after, the military launches an attack on Yolcaut’s house.
Yolcaut’s first priority is to get Tochtli to safety. He shows Tochtli a secret passage he had built for Tochtli and sends him away with Cuazalotl.
The government is unaware of Tochtli’s existence because Mazatzin did not write about him, so Tochtli can be free if he leaves the house.
While Yolcaut remains behind with his people, Cuazalotl takes Tochtli out of the country. Sometime later, Tochtli is seen living with an American family under the name Timmy.
During Tochtli’s birthday celebration with the family, he receives a showpiece made from two hippo heads, hinting that Yolcaut may have survived.
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