Gustavo Pacheco/AP File Photo
LOOK, NOW, ON THE “LAST POSSIBLE DAY,” IN ONE OF the most moving documentaries ever made, the man who once called himself “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” is finally going to sit down and write his memoir. He’s writing it with the help of his daughter and his girlfriend. His wife has finally admitted that she’s having an affair. He’s finally having an affair with a very sexy lady.
“The Last Day” documents that last day, Aug. 6, 2011, in front of a massive audience in Mexico City. The documentary’s subject, Miguel Celis, the former head of the Zetas cartel, says he is a man who “spends his final days of life with a smile on his face. No matter how dark the circumstances are, he remains positive and optimistic. He knows no matter what happens, he’ll always be safe and sound. I wish I could say the same about him.”
If you’ve seen the documentary, you know there’s some drama in town that night. Miguel is shot and killed by a hit squad. The Zetas, meanwhile, are threatening and arresting his sister. It’s a nightmare ending that leaves the viewers wondering how Celis can make it out alive as he is riddled with multiple gunshot wounds in multiple places outside a hotel. The documentary’s author, Juan Carlos Osorio, says this is “the reason why I wanted to make this documentary.”
After all that has happened, Celis still maintains that “there is a world beyond death” and that “one day, all the things one has lived for will come to an end. If I die tomorrow, I’d like that day to come without regrets.”
In his final moments, Miguel is still smiling. And although he’s been shot, he’s holding a bottle of water and looking into the camera knowingly. This is the last gift he will leave to his family. It’s also why in his final moments he’s determined to make sure he never sees a camera again.
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On Wednesday, the director will host a press conference at the Smithsonian for an unveiling ceremony of the “Last Day” exhibit that opened in Mexico City May 25. The exhibition will eventually run through Sept. 7 in Washington, D.C.