"Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jara Nava are the youthful offenders at the heart ofa new documentary that follows their lives in a Los Angeles juvenile detention . 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, , a Los Angeles-based organization that teaches creative writing to kids in juvenile lockups. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. While the gravity of their crimes is great, these young men are still simply teenagers. All three lads are aged 14 to 16 and are filmed living in Californian . He's a likable Mexican drug addict who comes from a single mom who is little more than a professional baby machine. The film follows three juvenile offenders: Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava who signed up for a screenwriting class. (SB 260 calls this diminished culpability.). original sound - . While the film includes some touching moments, like Juans brief visits with his toddler son and a goodbye call to the girl he never expects to see again, it doesnt flinch from its subjects culpability. In California, juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17 can be tried as adults and receive sentences longer than their natural life expectancy. Toward the end of "They Call Us Monsters," Antonio has been released. Instead of rehabilitating youth who have committed serious crimes, he says, its punishing them. All three are looking at terms that could keep them behind bars for decades. To others, they're monsters. , Scott Budnick (The Hangover) who executive produced the They Call Us Monsters as a labor of love. Prior to his imprisonment, Antonio was an honor roll student and he seemed like the perfect student up until his arrest. The film documents one of his first visits, when he asksthe group to list their fears. Upload your text file or copy the materials to the field. Juan:We are allow[ed] to watch TV, we can have our own [set] in the cell. Director Benjamin Lear . They seem like typical American teenagers if they . They are not monsters they are children who deserve a second chance at life we all make bad desicions just some are worse than others but if God can give them another chance why cant society, My name is Patty The plot emerged when the teens were talking about their fears. This work has led him to performances at TED and the UN. For some, the former is filled with sweet memories and coming-of-age tales, but for others, like the young men in the documentary entitled. Reviews for January 20th, 2017 Documentary Round-Up. TikTok video from Antonio Hernandez (@antoniohernandez5046). The University of Redlands does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, Documentary. When he heard about the bill, he joined forces with screenwriter Gabriel Cowan to produce the documentary "They Call Us Monsters.". Are our past actions a direct reflection of our character? 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 . 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. View Notes - Film Review .docx from JS 152 at San Jose State University. But the movie benefits from an added layer: A screenwriting teacher who gets to know three teenagers awaiting trial. The prison has a channel in which they play some of the new movies coming outso we watch about everything and anything that tells a good story. Reflecting back on his first week teaching his screenwriting class, Cowan says he was struck by the teens saying they don't have friends. braids together footage from the class with clips from the fictional film that the teens wrote. Add or change photo on IMDbPro Add to list More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Known for Los 8.5 Short Writer 2015 They Call Us Monsters 7.0 Self 2016 Credits Edit Writer1 Self1 IMDbPro Collapse below Writer Previous 1 Los writer Short 2015 IMDb Best of 2022 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. To their advocates, theyre kids. Justice is not to seek retribution or eye for an eye, but there were homicides what they did and must pay in that sense. TALKING" while everyone blathers on regardless. To pass the time, they sign up for a screenwriting class and collaborate on a short film about their lives, including Juan's unrequited love for his childhood friend, Abigail. Sorry your mother did what she did to you, it seems you are better off, Im sure it still hurts. The teacher, Gabriel Cowan (also a producer of the film), leads a workshop at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles. Juan:I find screenwriting and filmmaking very interesting, [e]specially for the power you can have of telling a story and raising awareness about certain topics. Have you seen They Call Us Monsters yet and if so what was your reaction to seeing yourself in the film? Every bit helps. 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. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. Documentary 2017 1 hr 21 min iTunes. Love does not conquer all nor is Lear suggesting this. Juvenile court judges had made that decision until 2000, when a referendum gave prosecutors the power to try teens as adults for certain serious crimes. [1] The teenagers participate in a screenwriting class at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles, California with producer Gabriel Cowan. The show, which was created in partnership with InsideOUT Writers, features interviews and work from December 21, . It concerns juveniles in California, accused of violent crimes, who are facing trial as adults with the prospect of spending the rest of their lives in prison. Ted Bundy, a good looking, well-educated monster, moved around the country killing at least 30 women in the 1970s, and for a time, he was the most wanted man in Colorado.. Bundy abducted and killed a 23-year old nurse who lived in Aspen. , a new documentary that follows their lives in a Los Angeles juvenile detention center. . Maybe it takes 15 years. The short film, LOS, was written by Juan Gamez, Jarad Nava and Antonio Hernandez. 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. The film follows three juvenile offenders: Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava who signed up for a screenwriting class . Antonio, one of Jarad's inmates, is blindsided by the news that he will be a free man. They are lively, tattooed gangbanger street-wise kids, who show no remorse for their crimes. As part of the Kennesaw State University community we are committed to creating a culture of inclusion through our journalism and operations. Juan Gamez has close-cropped, black hair and a baby face that remains expressionless except when he smiles. 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 In many countries children are used as hitmen, mainly because they are disposable, but also precisely because legal systems work different for them and that is not right. Capturan en Altavista al delincuente Nelson Antonio Hernndez, alias El Maligno. You can write a science fiction, you can write an animated film, you can write about ninjas, whatever you want.. If they weren't waiting for a trial for a crime they committed, they appear to be typical American teenagers. Cowan saysthe juvenile justice system in California is broken. CC. [Antonio was advised by his lawyer to decline a follow-up interview.]. goes behind the walls of the Compound, a high-security facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders.Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders.Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders. As the boys work with Gabe on their screenplay, their complex stories are revealed. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. Premiered May 22, 2017 Directed by Ben Lear Three young violent offenders learn screenwriting in one of LA's high-security detention centers. 38 deaths from fire arms not ruled homicide. Halfway through the class, Antonio returns to juvenile court and gets released with time served. The documentary might gain from longer-term or return treatment, particularly now that a California bill offering early parole hearings, under consideration for much of the films running time (and shown passing in 2013), has taken effect. They are locked up in a separate guardhouse, where legal actions will be served on teenagers in the same way that they are served on adults. Review: They Call Us Monsters, but Do We Deserve Life Sentences? Juan:Yeah, Jarad and I were tripping out on how many times we came out shaking hands. What is the value of a life? about brain development in teenagers that found the part of the brain that regulates judgment, decision-making and impulse control doesnt fully form until a person is in their 20s. These people have to do their time. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. In fact, since the human brain isnt fully developed until the age of 25, teens are less likely to understand risk and consequences, less able to resist peer pressure, which is relevant in deciding the level of sentence to impose for a crime one commits at, say, 15. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. 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. Antonio has since re-offended. Download a copy of Jarad Navas complete handwritten letter. The teenage girl Jarad shot is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Read more, DIVERSITY, EQUITY and INCLUSION Advertisement. Cowan had the idea to starta screenwriting class for juvenile offenders after he gave a talk toincarcerated youth while working on another screenplay. If they weren’t waiting for a trial for a crime they committed, they appear to be typical American Read more. They Call Us Monsters is a 2016 American documentary directed and produced by Ben Lear. Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez, and Jarad Nava. He speaks with renewed hope about providing his friends at the juvenile hall with a larger-than-life example of the success that they can aspire to achieve, transforming himself into a heroic figure on par with the "blue people in 'Avatar.'" They Call Us Monsters is a 2016 American documentary directed and produced by Ben Lear. Are you still interested in screenwriting and filmmaking and would you try to do that again even though youre incarcerated? When you see these young, smart kids without resources, being taken advantage of in this way and locked up for life with no help, I call bullshit on that right away. What TV and movies do you watch in there? Antonio Hernndez, director de "Capitn Trueno y El Santo Grial", recibe el Premio Applehead Sah-Di-A 2023 y nos enva un saludo. To their victims, theyre monsters. The 2016 released documentary inspects the experience of three juvenile prisoners facing life time imprisonment in Los Angeles Juvenile Detention Centre. A producer took me to juvenile hall. As the screenwriting classes progress, Jarad, Anthony, and Juan become close, and they develop a bond with the screenwriting teacher. Also, the story of my family, [e]specially my moms.. Directed By. Our independent journalism on the juvenile justice system takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. The film follows three young offenders who sign up to take a screenwriting class with producer Gabe Cowan as they await their respective trials. Stay in touch. Juan was charged with murder, while Jarad and Antonio were accused of attempted murder. UPDATE 6/29/2017:They Call Us Monsters isnow streamingon Netflix. 35 Likes, TikTok video from Antonio Hernnde4490 (@antoniohernandez0220). This is true for Juan as well, who has a 90-year sentence. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. Later, he calls Abby and uses Los as a script to narrate the depth of his feelings. Publication Information. Another important area centers on the cognitive development and decision-making ability of minors in dangerous home environments. We thought that was funny. To their victims, they're monsters. This documentary, directed by Ben Lear (the son of legendary TV producer Norman Lear), is one of the few I have seen to . 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. What is going on in these cities that so many young teens are being charged for gang-related murders? 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