You see this same willful blindness in the PBS documentary They Call Us Monsters. The film follows three juvenile offenders: Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava who signed up for a screenwriting class . The protagonist of Los emanates vulnerability where the boys act tough and make jokes as a form of self-protection. Other stories Id like to tell I look around at the people around me and I see great stories of personal achievementsor overcoming struggles. By what name was They Call Us Monsters (2016) officially released in Canada in English? Their stories are framed by their participation in a screenwriting class taught by Gabriel Cowan, one of the documentarys producers and by the debate among California lawmakers over a bill that would grant young offenders with lengthy terms a chance at parole after 15 years. I dont know if its because I was acting like a fool. Emily Jordan is a YA writer living in New York City. Also, the story of my family, [e]specially my moms.. 17.9K Likes, 65 Comments. At times Jarad, who faces 200 years for four attempted murders, demonstrates an almost dissociative denial that borders on sociopathic. Meanwhile, the boys wrote a screenplay, which their teacher, Gabriel Cowan, shot and edited into a 15-minute short, Los. The film-within-a-film structure of They Call Us Monsters replicates the repetitive nature of these very systemic contradictions that the boys face and endure, but in a way that allows for reflection as well as an understanding of the need for continued awareness and advocacy. Ben Lear. 2017. TikTok video from antonio hernandez (@antonio_hernandezzz): "#fyp #foryou #foryoupage #trending #viral #foru #fyp". Gilpin County Colorado Most Wanted. His story became one of the main themes in their film. And thats part of what I think works so well with these art programs. Help bring programs like Independent Lens to your PBS station. These are perfect examples of the way the justice system has decided to treat young men who commit violent crimes as adults. He had the group do a number of trust exercises. Antonio could care less. Antonio was being charged for 2 attempted murders and facing 90 years to life. ", But then, Jarad counters, No, Im not scared of the dark., Seems like youre avoiding the question, Cowan replies. Do they deserve a second chance? Im a believer in the parole process, Lear says. Anyone can read what you share. Antonio Hernandez is known for Los (2015) and They Call Us Monsters (2016). In this movie, creator Ben Lear sheds valuable insight into the world of juveniles with life sentences. Since rehabilitation programs continue to be underfunded, the recidivism rate isnt likely to go down. Juvenile Justice Information Exchange Jarad:No because for one police officers manipulate juveniles through coercion to admit to information that they may actually be innocent of. Stars: Nora Kirkpatrick, Nate Corddry, Ernesto Hernndez, Allegra Acosta, Joel Anderson, Richard Bloom, Steven Fernandez, Ernesto Hernandez, Scott Budnick, Mike Camacho, Antonia Casas R, Yesenia Castro, Gabriel Cowan, Darrell J Edwards Jr, Darrell J Edwards Sr, Juan Gamez, Kath Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. I hope all works out for these fellas & every young person that happens to take the wrong or see the something that damages them, Our XML site map https://jjie.org/sitemap.xml, JJIE is published by the Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University. You have to love it out of them, Cowan says. Directors Ben Lear Starring Jarad Nava, Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez Genres Documentary Subtitles English [CC] To their advocates, they're kids. They Call Us Monsters is a 2016 American documentary directed and produced by Ben Lear. Instead of facing my life I numbed myself to it and behaved immaturely.. PBS Independent Lens airs the film on Monday, May 22. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. Ben Lear. Antonio: Fear of trust, fear of being alone, fear of public speaking, and fear of vulnerability,, Juan: Death, loneliness, darkness, and love. Little Hope Was Arson: A Letter from a Texas Jail, Ben Lear Shows Reality and Human Face of Juvenile Justice System. 1 They Call us Monsters, for me, was more than just another Netflix documentary. Toward the end of "They Call Us Monsters," Antonio has been released. Jarad makes a joke of it, but Antonio says, Trust, fear of vulnerability, fear of public speaking and fear of being alone. Juan says, Fear of death, loneliness, darkness and love., The love story is the heart of the film, Lear says. All three boys have children. It is true that they are children but they commited adult and serious crimes. The Center publishes multiple projects including Youth Today, JJIE, Fresh Take Georgia and Bokeh Focus. It concerns juveniles in California, accused of violent crimes,. As the screenwriting classes progress, Jarad, Anthony, and Juan become close, and they develop a bond with the screenwriting teacher. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/movies/they-call-us-monsters-review.html. goes behind the walls of the Compound, a high-security facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. To their victims, they're monsters. In California, the parole bill featured in Monsters ultimately passed in 2013. He wrote that he is grateful so many people have embrace[d] our story and join the prison reform movement. While in prison, he is going to college fulltime and making strong grades. ", Jarad: I dont like snakes, theres a fear of heights, Im not scared of heights, but theres a fear. Theyd seem like typical teenage boys if they werent awaiting trial for violent crimes. A part of PBS, America's Home for Documentaries, We thought viewers of Ben Lears They Call Us Monsters may be interested in hearing from the young men featured in the film. It follows three residents at Barry J. Nidorf. I was more critical than anything, but I think that thats just the person I was at that time., Jarad:Yes, I was given the opportunity to watch the documentary and it was uncomfortable at first watching myself. In the past few years, however, officials in many states and in Washington, D.C., have been rethinking the clampdown. . As a result of making They Call Us Monsters, his first film, Lear sits on the advisory board of InsideOUT Writers and is an aly member within the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, teaching a weekly writing class within the Compound and mentoring former juvenile offenders under reentry. Juvenile court judges had made that decision. Im guessing people probably think were still in the same mindset, and doing the same stuff. Antonio Hernndez, director de "Capitn Trueno y El Santo Grial", recibe el Premio Applehead Sah-Di-A 2023 y nos enva un saludo. All three are looking at terms that could keep them behind bars for decades. I appreciate the support and open-mindedness.. The proposed bill, SB 260, would allow juveniles to become eligible for parole earlier in their sentencing, after serving at least 15 years. And, even if he is released, Juan faces deportation and separation from his family, including his infant son. I got married to a beautiful amazing woman and we have two daughters, ones three, the second a [little] over one year. Its protagonist, an amalgam of Jarad, Antonio and Juan, is played by a small and fresh-faced boy, a perfect casting choice that conveys the boys actual youth, that is, if it hadnt been cut short by gang violence, poverty, and an unjust system. If they hadnt wanted to write a love story, there wouldnt be this film, but they decided to write a film, their film, about a young boy falling in love, when they could have written about violence or gangs. This offers a clear path for states around the country to see what this type of reform can look like. Powerful new documentary 'They Call Us Monsters' follows three teen boys who face life sentences for their violent crimes. While the gravity of their crimes is great, these young men are still simply teenagers. Antonio has since re-offended. Jarad:Since the movie Ive been striving day after day to become a better person and hopefully re-enter society and just be a citizen, an asset, not a liability. Lear's documentary follows three boys living in such a compound who signed up for a screenwriting class: Antonio Hernandez, Jarad Nava, and Juan Gamez. - Juvenile Justice News for People Who Care About Children and the Law, Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava are the youthful offenders at the heart of . Press Check button. While in the courthouse representing himself for the hearing about her murder, he asked the judge if he could use the law . Reflecting back on his first week teaching his screenwriting class, Cowan says he was struck by the teens saying they don't have friends. Antonio admits he feels no remorse for his actions, and his promising new start sours soon after his release. Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava are the three juvenile offenders who got featured in the documentary. In California, juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17 can be tried as adults and receive sentences longer than their natural life expectancy. Juan: I dont want to say the law is unfair, but rather the people passing certain laws are quick to make decisions like throwing you in prison and throwing away the key without even giving you a chance (sometimes). Juans older brother drew him into gang life as a child in their native El Salvador, before they moved to California. Cowan, who also happens to be one of the films producers, is the first person to teach a screenwriting class with InsideOUT Writers, a non-profit organization whose mission is both to use creative writing as a catalyst for personal transformation and to reduce the juvenile recidivism rate by providing services for formerly incarcerated youth. . Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. Let me clarify, I dont think juveniles should just be let free or given a slap on the wrist. Maybe it takes a lifetime., Lear, the son of television producer and liberal activist Norman Lear, was drawn to the issue after he was invited to sit in on one of the scriptwriting classes run by InsideOUT Writers, a Los Angeles-based organization that teaches creative writing to kids in juvenile lockups. ok my sons were murdered, but the killers are children, so they deserve to be treated differently? This work has led him to performances at TED and the UN. Thats why you need programs like InsideOUT and college., In the fifth writing class, Cowan introduces the topic of character motivation, telling the kids that conflict and fear are essential in driving plot. Sitting in his white undershirt, he tries to reconcile the number of years Jarad. As we see them crafting a short film based on their experiences, Lear gives us access to their families and in one case to their victims stories, balancing the fresh faces we see at the Compound with the violent crimes that landed them there. Theres not only capacity for change, theres also that oft-forgotten glimmer of a thing called hope. Ben Lear makes his directorial debut with "They Call Us Monsters," a searing but sensitive documentary following the experiences of juvenile offenders through the justice system.His father, Norman, used the form of the sitcom to hold a mirror up to American culture, but Ben takes a more direct approach with his non-fiction work, and the intuitive observation displayed in this film shows . When the new law went into effect in January of 2014, it established a new parole process to be enacted on either the 15th, 20th or 25th year of incarceration, depending on the sentence or controlling offense for people who were under the age of 18 when they committed a crime and who had been tried and sentenced as adults. 2023 Independent Television Service (ITVS). Cowan saysthe juvenile justice system in California is broken. It wasnt a direct line, it was a process that had zigzaggy lines. You can write a science fiction, you can write an animated film, you can write about ninjas, whatever you want.. Are you still interested in screenwriting and filmmaking and would you try to do that again even though youre incarcerated? Ones kicking himself over an unrequited lifelong crush. Juan, who joined a gang before his 13th birthday as a way to gain respect, and who has been charged with fatally shooting a man three times at point blank range and says, "I really was a monster. A part of PBS, America's Home for Documentaries. [2] [3] Premise [ edit] Juan, Jarad, and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. In other words, hes a boy. When Hernandez talks to the filmmakers at home, there are toddlers strewn all . [1] The teenagers participate in a screenwriting class at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles, California with producer Gabriel Cowan. "There's homies and there's enemies,"he says they told him. Review: They Call Us Monsters, but Do We Deserve Life Sentences? were being prosecuted in adult courts every year, according to the Campaign for Youth Justice, which opposes the practice. Im not that 17 or 18-year-old boy anymore. (https://jjie.org/2017/02/08/meet-the-monsters-documentary-looks-at-california-juvenile-debate/). While the gravity of their crimes is great, these young men are still simply teenagers. Be more independent. All three face charges of attempted (or, in Juans case, first degree) murder. Grappling with tough questions about what it means to convict a young teenager to a lifetime in prison without diminishing or excusing the violent crimes which these kids are accused of, They. As the boys work with Gabe on their screenplay, their complex stories are revealed. 7 talking about this. As any parent, teacher or person who has worked with teens will tell you, teenagers are impulsive. Who Creates the Dragons Brave Knights must Slay? Year. What is going on in these cities that so many young teens are being charged for gang-related murders? As the Fair Sentencing For Youth organization puts it, the law holds young people responsible for the crimes they committed, but it recognizes that youth are different from adults and gives them a chance to demonstrate remorse and rehabilitation. They Call Us Monsters Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Documentary. If everyone who reads our reporting helps to pay for it, our future would be much more secure. I cant think of anything specific other than Im grateful so many people have embrace[d] our story and joined the prison reform movement (one way or the other). Roxanne - Instrumental - Califa Azul. The first individual we come across is Antonio, who was arrested at the age of 14-years-old. We have a small favor to ask. Learhad been visiting "The Compound," a high-security facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. being generous here 7 million pit bulls and Rottweilers and other dangerous breeds. INDEPENDENT LENS: THEY CALL US MONSTERS 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). To others, they're . It establishes a parole process with different criteria.. Read more, EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE POLICY To their advocates, theyre kids. Focused on the specific stories of Jarad, Antonio, and Juan, the latter two exemplifying the large Latinopopulation that often finds itself behind bars, the project shows us how a screenwriting class allows these boys to think back to what drove them to where they are currently. TikTok video from noticias ESA (@noticias.esa): "as de esta manera fue llevado ala justicia y ser presentado ante los tribunales con el fin de que pague con crcel todos los crmenes cometidos/los angelitos que no hacen nada #noticias #PlanControlTerritorial". In what is then the pinnacle moment of the documentary, Juan watches from the sidelines as actors brought in by Cowan enact a scene from his own life as he wishes it had actually transpired. Directed by: Ben LearThey Call Us Monsters Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Documentary In this fascinating, deeply human exploration of the blurring line between. Before watching They Call Us Monsters, I knew little to nothing about the issue of justice for juveniles under California Senate Bill 260, a law that went into effect in 2014 that gives a second chance to most people who were under the age of 18 at the time of their crime. Juan, Jarad and Antonio at "The Compound," a high-security Los Angeles facility for juvenile offenders. Are our past actions a direct reflection of our character? Was there anything that tripped you out or that you learned about yourself after watching the movie? TALKING" while everyone blathers on regardless. Juan:Yes, I saw the movie, before release. The film documents one of his first visits, when he asksthe group to list their fears. To others, they're monsters. Doing the numbers it appears that a child age 0-9 is 15x more likely to be killed by an aggressive dog breed than a firearm (excluding homicides). I so support these boys and hope they dont have to spend there years stuck for a stupid mistake they now regret Help bring programs like Independent Lens to your PBS station. (SB 260 calls this diminished culpability.), Obviously, there are no easy answers. 2023 University of Redlands. But because you do not know who they will turn out to be when they are 25, 26 or 27, I feel as a society that we do have the obligation to provide them an opportunity to earn a second chance, based on that fact.. His statement, I was a monster, I really was, is the crux of the film: he joined a gang before his thirteenth birthday to emulate his brother. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. You can look at that and say, OK, theyre obviously sociopaths. But what I would encourage people to do is peel a layer off, go a little bit deeper and entertain the idea that maybe theyre temporarily sociopaths, Lear said. I definitely believe teens that see unforeseen trauma in there childhood should certainly be given a serious second chance, their brains are not fully developed. Tru 01:00 6 Calling All The Monsters Jessica Jean 00:30 2168 A Monster Calls Read Hersh 01:00 10 A Monster Calls Clarity 01:00 0 You Call Us Monsters Benjamin Wallfisch 00:30 0 Thriii 01:00 2409 They Call Me Tiago (Her Name Is Margo) He asks them to write down five things they fear. While the gravity of their crimes is great, these young men are still simply teenagers. Eventually, police were able to identify the suspect as 19-year-old Antonio Hernandez. SB 260 may have finally passed in California, as well as Prop 57, but most states still impose juvenile life sentences with no chance of parole. Preview EXPLORE THE FILM About the Documentary They. Director Benjamin Lear . As any parent, teacher or person who has worked with teens will tell you, teenagers are impulsive. What would the victims think? They seem like typical American teenagers if they . All rights reserved. To others, they're monsters. Thats whendirector Ben Learknew he had a film to make. In a world where children grow up sleeping on the floor, numerous families crammed into a two-bedroom apartment, barely receiving enough sustenance to stay alive, these kids begin life with nothing but survival instincts. We thought that was funny. Their convictions range from charges of attempted murder to first degree murder, and slowly each boy's character and the story of how he ended up in the compound is revealed. The Center aims to discover new ways to produce financially sustainable, high quality and ethically sound journalism via applied research, collaborations and advancing innovative projects. 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