83%. This offers a clear path for states around the country to see what this type of reform can look like. He references the movie Avatar, and says, I feel like I gotta be these huge blue people for them so at night when they dream of stuff they could be doing, I could be one of those huge, blue people.. being generous here 7 million pit bulls and Rottweilers and other dangerous breeds. ", Jarad: I dont like snakes, theres a fear of heights, Im not scared of heights, but theres a fear. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. Read more, FUNDER TRANSPARENCY POLICY Jarad, who will be eligible for parole in 2037, wrote in a letter to PBS that hes chosento leave the criminal lifestyle in my past and serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Juan is eligible for parole in 2027. We meet Jarad (arrested at 16), Antonio (at 14), and Juan (at 16) when theyre about to be tried, each facing 90 plus years in prison. His story became one of the main themes in their film. Cowan had the idea to starta screenwriting class for juvenile offenders after he gave a talk toincarcerated youth while working on another screenplay. Since the documentary was produced in 2013, the initial parole bill, SB 230, passed, along with other bills that decrease juvenile sentencing. original sound - . 1091 Media. goes behind the walls of the Compound, a high-security facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. He went as research for a script, expecting to meet the kind of scary characters hed seen in the movies but instead, he found a classroom full of kids., When a kid arrives there, a lot of his baggage is temporarily stripped away, Lear said. 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. They found him along the 4000 block of Green Tree Drive Wednesday and took him into custody. Theyre held in a special wing of the lockup reserved for teens who will be standing trial as adults. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. In other words, Lear does not gloss over what Jarad actually did to end up at Sylmar, yet the film questions both his draconian punishment and the way the, system continually punishes low-income, mostly African-American and Latinx kids. What other stories would you like to tell in film or writing? Of course, aging out of crime and violence can also be offset by a prison culture that doesnt allow you to change. This work has led him to performances at TED and the UN. Ya disponible en todas las plataformas digitales junto, 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. Halfway through the class, Antonio returns to juvenile court and gets released with time served. 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 . Director.. Monsters is a 2010 British science fiction horror film written and directed by Gareth Edwards in his feature film directorial debut. This scene makes it into the final documentary, in which Learbraids together footage from the class with clips from the fictional film that the teens wrote. You can see why we need to ask for your help. TikTok video from Antonio hernandez (@edgar_heernadez). 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. , was created to rehabilitate, not to be punitive but it became a punitive system where the kids are getting punished for their trauma., 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. 7 talking about this. Juan, Jarad, and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. Juan:Yeah, Jarad and I were tripping out on how many times we came out shaking hands. Juan:Man, theres so many things the audience dont get to see, especially the fact that Im grown now. Written By. 5 Heartbreaking Facts From They Call Us Monsters Doc on Latino Teens Facing Life in Jail. Capturan en Altavista al delincuente Nelson Antonio Hernndez, alias El Maligno. In this movie, creator Ben Lear sheds valuable insight into the world of juveniles with life sentences. You cant punish trauma out of a child, you have to love it out of them, he says. You see this same willful blindness in the PBS documentary They Call Us Monsters. For his senior recital, Lear wrote and performed his folk-opera Lillian (about a man who travels to the great Pacific garbage patch to reclaim all hes lost) with a 20-piece orchestra and light show. Documentary 2017 1 hr 21 min iTunes. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. Do they deserve a second chance? It is our responsibility to help the youth that want help. 2017. But by the end of the 10 weeks, Cowan says, they were all friends. HD. 83%. But the movie benefits from an added layer: A screenwriting teacher who gets to know three teenagers awaiting trial. 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.. Premiered May 22, 2017 Directed by Ben Lear Three young violent offenders learn screenwriting in one of LA's high-security detention centers. Three kids facing life in prison. The teenage girl Jarad shot is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Documentary. Is They Call Us Monsters streaming? gender, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or other legally-protected characteristic in its programs and Antonio, Jarad and Juan are the subjects of the documentary "They Call Us Monsters," BMP Films The issue of juveniles tried as adults in our criminal justice system is a difficult one, and the . And in 2016, state voters approved a ballot measure that takes the decision on whether a teen should stand trial as an adult away from prosecutors and puts it in the hands of a juvenile court judge. Ben Lear graduated from NYU in 2010 with a degree in music composition. This doc examines how minors are regarded in the justice system. 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. Seems like maybe youre afraid of the question.. University of Redlands Emergency Alert System, Alert Received: . Every bit helps. From the film, I learned many juveniles convicted of serious crimes are tried as adults and kept in a separate compound. Arrested at 16, Jarad faces 200 years-to-life for four attempted murders; Juan, also arrested at 16, faces 90-to-life for first-degree murder; Antonio was arrested at 14 and faces 90-to-life for two attempted murders.[4]. 35 Likes, TikTok video from Antonio Hernnde4490 (@antoniohernandez0220). So most of the time, its easier for them to just be kids when theyre locked up.. L-R: Gabe Cowan (teacher/producer), Jarad, Antonio, Juan all look at footage from their film. 17.9K Likes, 65 Comments. [2] [3] Premise [ edit] [1] The teenagers participate in a screenwriting class at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles, California with producer Gabriel Cowan. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Aiming to de-stigmatize California's incarcerated juveniles, a documentary entitled They Call Us Monsters sheds light on the lives of those incarcerated and the state's legislative debate over juvenile sentencing reform. Categories Trending Tags They Call Us Monsters Leave a comment. To their critics, they're monsters. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. It establishes a parole process with different criteria.. It follows three residents at Barry J. Nidorf. Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyBeJordan. 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). Have you seen They Call Us Monsters yet and if so what was your reaction to seeing yourself in the film? To pass the time, they sign up for a screenwriting class and collaborate on a short film about their lives, including . The University of Redlands does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, Do they deserve a second chance? Want to know more about this blog or how to get into contact with us? Ben Lear. It wasnt a direct line, it was a process that had zigzaggy lines. The Center publishes multiple projects including Youth Today, JJIE, Fresh Take Georgia and Bokeh Focus. 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. Im two semesters away from obtaining an AA in Business & Technology. See production, box office & company info, Self - California State Assembly Member (D). To their victims, theyre monsters. Los ends up being, of all things, a love story. The dark. Over the course of the two years that Lear (son of TV writer and producer Norman Lear) spent filming They Call Us Monsters, SB 260, the juvenile parole bill, went into effect in California. After passing SB 260, California also passed SB 261 in 2015, a law that raised the age of SB 260 to 22-years old, affecting an additional 16,000 inmates. Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News. Their convictions range from charges of attempted murder to first degree murder, and slowly each boys character and the story of how he ended up in the compound is revealed. 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. they're kids. Cast Jarad Nava , Juan Gamez , Antonio Hernandez | See Full Cast Crime Meet Juan, Jarad, and Antonio, all in their teens, all facing decades in prison. Wait for a couple of seconds to let the tool find matching parts. Starring Jarad Nava . Maybe that journey toward remorse and responsibility is different for everyone. 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. The documentary "They Call Us Monsters" explored the life of three juvenile offenders, i.e. Juan and Jarad were 16 when they were arrested; Antonio was 14. They Call Us Monsters, directed by Ben Lear (Norman Lears son), might seem like a straightforward advocacy documentary. 2017. 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. The film follows three young offenders who sign up to take a screenwriting class with producer Gabe Cowan as they await their respective trials. I was filled with conflicting emotions throughout. Do they deserve a second chance? In other words, Lear does not gloss over what Jarad actually did to end up at Sylmar, yet the film questions both his draconian punishment and the way the system continually punishes low-income, mostly African-American and Latinx kids with lengthy sentences, regardless of the fact that, as adolescents, they have no ability to see beyond the orbit of their own experience. 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. All three face charges of attempted (or, in Juans case, first degree) murder. Little Hope Was Arson: A Letter from a Texas Jail, Ben Lear Shows Reality and Human Face of Juvenile Justice System. While in the courthouse representing himself for the hearing about her murder, he asked the judge if he could use the law . If I learned one thing about myself Id say it is that the camera loves me. They Call Us Monsters 2016 Not Rated 1 h 22 m IMDb RATING 7.0 /10 654 YOUR RATING Rate Play trailer 1:42 1 Video 4 Photos Documentary Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders. Toward the end of "They Call Us Monsters," Antonio has been released. Thats whendirector Ben Learknew he had a film to make. Back in 2013, California was debating whether to give teenagers who committed violent crimes a second chance. 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. Their task is to create a screenplay that will be produced outside of the prison by their teacher. Through the class, Antonio returns to juvenile court and gets released with time served,! Nyu in 2010 with a degree in music composition on a short film about their lives, including and! 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