The law went into effect January 1, 2014. 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. 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., That inspired him to make the documentary, which uses a montage of news reports to illustrate the late 20th century spike in juvenile crime and the punitive response that followed a broad expansion in the offenses and ages for which a teen could stand trial as an adult. They found him along the 4000 block of Green Tree Drive Wednesday and took him into custody. (https://jjie.org/2017/02/08/meet-the-monsters-documentary-looks-at-california-juvenile-debate/). sonido original - Antonio Hernandez. This offers a clear path for states around the country to see what this type of reform can look like. 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. Weve posted their answers below, and also included the original letters if youd like to see an authentically handwritten response. TikTok video from antonio hernandez (@antonio_hernandezzz): "#fyp #foryou #foryoupage #trending #viral #foru #fyp". TikTok video from Antonio Hernandez (@antoniohernandez5046). We see excerpts from the result. They Call Us Monsters. "They Call Us Monsters," directed by Ben Lear (Norman Lear's son), might seem like a straightforward advocacy documentary. Lear originally visited the prison wanting to enrich a screenplay he was working on but once he saw the world of the young boys in the Compound, he knew he had a worthwhile doc in his hands. HD. Preview EXPLORE THE FILM About the Documentary They. 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. , Scott Budnick (The Hangover) who executive produced the They Call Us Monsters as a labor of love. Antonio Hernandez (arrested at age 14) and Jarad Nava (arrested at 16) are both charged with multiple counts of attempted murder; Juan Gamez (also arrested at 16) is charged with first-degree. Directed by: Ben LearThey Call Us Monsters Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Documentary In this fascinating, deeply human exploration of the blurring line between. When California advocates began pushing to scale back punishments for offenders like those in his film, Lear said, it seemed hopeless. According to California law, the U.S. injustice errr.justice system treats people aged 14-17 as adults when being sentenced for their crimes. You cannot punish trauma out of somebody. Musica para Noticias 2 - Musica para Noticias. Through their introspection and self-discovery, I felt an overwhelming sense of aspiration for these young people, despite their circumstances. As any parent, teacher or person who has worked with teens will tell you, teenagers are impulsive. sonido original - Editorial Applehead. 1.7K Likes, TikTok video from antonio hernandez (@antonio_hernandezzz): "#fyp #foryou #foryoupage #trending #viral #foru #fyp". She weeps as she talks about the harrowing moment in which she thought she was going to die. 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. Receive a report. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. He attended the Compound as part of InsideOUT Writers, an organization that uses creative writing programs as a way to aid in the rehabilitation of prison inmates. Its this capacity for change that, according to Budnick, Cowan, Lear and other prison-reform policy advocates, differentiates the young person from the adult. Antonio Hernnde4490 (@antoniohernandez0220)s videos with sonido original - Antonio Hernnde4490 | TikTok. 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. 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. Cast Jarad Nava , Juan Gamez , Antonio Hernandez | See Full Cast 1 Hour 21 Minutes. StarringJarad Nava Juan Gamez Antonio Hernandez Darrell Edwards Allegra Acosta Joel Anderson Richard Bloom Nate Corddry This is true for Juan as well, who has a 90-year sentence. All three face charges of attempted (or, in Juans case, first degree) murder. Is They Call Us Monsters streaming? See production, box office & company info, Self - California State Assembly Member (D). that, according to Budnick, Cowan, Lear and other prison-reform policy advocates, differentiates the young person from the adult. This is true for Juan as well, who has a 90-year sentence. Summary. Over the course of a few months, Lear filmed Cowan working with three teenagers -- Juan Gamez, Jarad Nava and Antonio Hernandez -- who were awaiting trial, some facing sentences more than 100 years long. gender, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or other legally-protected characteristic in its programs and Read more, EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE POLICY As a 16-year-old boy facing 90 years to life for first-degree murder, he seems to float somewhere above or below this fact, as do Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava, the other teenage boys awaiting similar sentences in Ben Lears moving documentary, They Call Us Monsters, a film that connects a 20-week screenwriting class inside Sylmar, a segregated unit for juveniles being tried as adults, with the passing of SB 260, legislation that grants youth serving life sentences the possibility of parole. .tiktok-ze5eiw-SpanViews{-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;padding-right:12px;color:rgba(22, 24, 35, .75);}5500 views|.tiktok-15ooo5t-H4Link{font-family:ProximaNova,Arial,Tahoma,PingFangSC,sans-serif;font-weight:400;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;display:inline;color:rgba(22, 24, 35, .75);margin-left:12px;}.tiktok-15ooo5t-H4Link a{color:rgba(22, 24, 35, .75);}, Antonio hernandez (@edgar_heernadez)s videos with sonido original - joxls | TikTok. 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. Sitting in his white undershirt, he tries to reconcile the number of years Jarad still has left on his sentence: 162. 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. Watch on. 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. Still a teacher for InsideOUT, he has abandoned the Hollywood bromance in favor of Good Films, his new feature-film company whose mission is to tell stories with racial and social-justice themes. All rights reserved. There are many that we will not be able to save. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. PBS Independent Lens airs the film on Monday, May 22. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. Gilpin County Colorado Most Wanted. However, he re-entered prison after being tried as an adult for two robberies. 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. they're kids. I have worked in the juvenile system for 20 years. 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. They Call Us Monsters . Change is possible but forgiveness is needed.. Cowan conceptualized the idea to teach screenwriting and then produce and shoot a movie from the script the kids wrote. This doc examines how minors are regarded in the justice system. Cowan saysthe juvenile justice system in California is broken. The juvenile justice system was created to rehabilitate, not to be punitive but it became a punitive system where the kids are getting punished for their trauma.. Because the prisoners became so vulnerable, I felt connected to them and their raw humanity in a way I did not expect given their crimes. They're held in a special wing of the lockup reserved for teens who will be standing trial as adults. , a new documentary that follows their lives in a Los Angeles juvenile detention center. To the system, they're adults. From the film, I learned many juveniles convicted of serious crimes are tried as adults and kept in a separate compound. Let me clarify, I dont think juveniles should just be let free or given a slap on the wrist. . But if studies prove a juveniles brain is not fully developed why would you give him more time in prison than hes lived. Available on iTunes Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders. . The University of Redlands does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. hey mickey baby tate - brae. Lear, who released Lillian as an album, partnered with Plastic Pollution Coalition and 4Gyres to raise awareness for plastic pollution. They Call Us Monsters doesnt shy from the consequences of the violence the prisoners were accused of (we meet a paralyzed victim of a shooting), even as it suggests that the system from a state senator who warns of mini-Charlie Mansons to lawyers resigned to stiff sentences proceeds almost mechanically. Moved by his friends predicament, he says that he wants to become successful for him. 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. Read more, Copyright 2023, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. 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. 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. 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 You can write a science fiction, you can write an animated film, you can write about ninjas, whatever you want.. They Call Us Monsters is a 2016 American documentary directed and produced by Ben Lear. 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. I want the film to reach those legislative buildings, those communities, to start a conversation around this population and how it should be treated.. Director Benjamin Lear . Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders. 35 Likes, TikTok video from Antonio Hernnde4490 (@antoniohernandez0220). 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. 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. 2017. In the past few years, however, officials in many states and in Washington, D.C., have been rethinking the clampdown. All three lads are aged 14 to 16 and are filmed living in Californian . But we did hear back from Juan Gamez and Jarad Nava, both of whom are currently serving life sentences. Ones kicking himself over an unrequited lifelong crush. 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. Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez, and Jarad Nava. Other stories Id like to tell I look around at the people around me and I see great stories of personal achievementsor overcoming struggles. But we believe its crucial and we think you agree. The Film. As part of the Kennesaw State University community we are committed to creating a culture of inclusion through our journalism and operations. A new documentary premiering at the Los Angeles Film Festival takes us inside the Compound, a high-security facility in the middle of Sylmar Juvenile Hall, where LA County houses their high-risk juvenile offenders. We have a small favor to ask. Antonio Hernndez, director de "Capitn Trueno y El Santo Grial", recibe el Premio Applehead Sah-Di-A 2023 y nos enva un saludo. Juan and Jarad were 16 when they were arrested; Antonio was 14. A part of PBS, America's Home for Documentaries. This means these kids could get a second chance. If they weren’t waiting for a trial for a crime they committed, they appear to be typical American Read more. The film follows three juveniles: Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava. Toward the end of They Call Us Monsters, Antonio has been released. Justice is not to seek retribution or eye for an eye, but there were homicides what they did and must pay in that sense. 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. Eventually, police were able to identify the suspect as 19-year-old Antonio Hernandez. Halfway through the class, Antonio returns to juvenile court and gets released with time served. As the screenwriting classes progress, Jarad, Anthony, and Juan become close, and they develop a bond with the screenwriting teacher. One week they would open up and trust me, and another week they would be joking around and sort of making me the villain., Cowan gave the teensliberty to choose what they wanted their film to be about. Halfway through the class, Antonio returns to juvenile court and is released with time served but, back in the neighborhood, quickly falls into the same patterns of drug use and gang life that led to his incarceration in the first place. In Jarads case, he'll likelycome up for parole in 20-25 years, instead of the 80 or 90 years he would have had with a 160-year sentence. When Hernandez talks to the filmmakers at home, there are toddlers strewn all . Maybe that journey toward remorse and responsibility is different for everyone. That states legislature also eliminated the chance of life-without-parole sentences for all but a few juvenile offenders and made more young inmates eligible for early parole. They Call Us Monsters goes behind the walls of the Compound, a high-security facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals, to follow three young offenders who sign up to take a screenwriting class with producer Gabe Cowan as they await their respective trials. 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.. To pass the time, they sign up for a screenwriting class and collaborate on a short film about their lives, including . 2023 University of Redlands. What other stories would you like to tell in film or writing? While the gravity of their crimes is great, these young men are still simply teenagers. Antonio could care less. They Call Us Monsters A Documentary Film Review 'The Call Us Monsters' is a documentary film in which the filmmakers are granted access to the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar California. To others, they're monsters. Make sure to cite all the sources properly and rewrite direct quotations in your own words to decrease the level of plagiarism in your paper. These people have to do their time. The focus of InsideOUT is usually poetry and prose (alumni participate in group gatherings called Writing Circles, where young people come together to share their work and talk). Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava are the three juvenile offenders who got featured in the documentary. Juan and Jarad were 16 when they were arrested; Antonio was 14. 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. Meanwhile, the realities of Jarad and Juans crimes and pending trials set in. 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. They Call Us Monsters is a 2016 American documentary directed and produced by Ben Lear. Hes no longer actively gangbanging. We thought that was funny. 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. Roxanne - Instrumental - Califa Azul. Back in 2013, California was debating whether to give teenagers who committed violent crimes a second chance. This is precisely the case of the three main subjects of Lears documentary. One of the victims of Jarads shooting is only 17 and permanently confined to a wheelchair. (SB 260 calls this diminished culpability.), Obviously, there are no easy answers. sonido original - joxls . Juan says, I really was a monster, and the film includes surveillance video of the killing that put him behind bars. Another, Juan, who joined a gang before his 13th birthday, faces 90. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. 2023 Independent Television Service (ITVS). Lears documentary follows three boys living in such a compound who signed up for a screenwriting class: Antonio Hernandez, Jarad Nava, and Juan Gamez. Of the three young men it follows, Antonio faces 90 years to life for two attempted murders committed just after he turned 14. ENGLISH. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. Juan:Yes, I saw the movie, before release. All three boys have, ------------------------------------------. ok my sons were murdered, but the killers are children, so they deserve to be treated differently? Yet, I also felt the film was successful in demonstrating that these are no little Charles Mansons, as a state senator in the documentary called them. 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