Antonio, a methamphetamine addict, recounts seeing a man shot to death in front of him when he was 8, but insists hes not traumatized: I guess you do kind of get used to it. And when he was 12, Jarad found his stepfather trying to stab himself to death an unsuccessful attempt that nonetheless resulted in the breakup of his family. The documentary "They Call Us Monsters", takes inside a segregated unit for juveniles being tried as adults in Sylmar Juvenile Hall and introduces to three teenagers awaiting trial where they spend their days and nights waiting to learn their fate for their violent and gang related crimes. Without affect, the girl asks if hes in a detention center. The protagonist of Los emanates vulnerability where the boys act tough and make jokes as a form of self-protection. Meet the Monsters: Documentary Looks at California Juvenile Debate. 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. This article about a biographical documentary film is a stub. Love does not conquer all nor is Lear suggesting this. Capturan en Altavista al delincuente Nelson Antonio Hernndez, alias El Maligno. Antonio Hernandez (@antoniohernandez5046)s videos with sonido original - Antonio Hernandez | TikTok. We need to remember that what we know is due to years of instruction, they are not innate abilities we understand when we are born--we have been taught. 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. There are many that we will not be able to save. While the gravity of their crimes is great, these young men are still simply teenagers. At the start of the film, we watch as Juan, under surveillance, speaks on the phone with a girl. As any parent, teacher or person who has worked with teens will tell you, teenagers are impulsive. (Haha) Just kidding.. Was there anything that tripped you out or that you learned about yourself after watching the movie? Jarads victim describes waking up paralyzed, and the film shows her trying to navigate her apartment in a wheelchair. 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. They Call Us Monsters - Where to Watch and Stream They Call Us Monsters Overview Cast Meet Juan, Jarad, and Antonio, all in their teens, all facing decades in prison. To some, they're kids. goes behind the walls of the Compound, a high-security facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. Weve posted their answers below, and also included the original letters if youd like to see an authentically handwritten response. Jarad:No because for one police officers manipulate juveniles through coercion to admit to information that they may actually be innocent of. [2] [3] Premise [ edit] To their advocates, they're kids. 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. 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. The problem could be stopped before it reaches this how does a teen get a gun is never questioned. L-R: Gabe Cowan (teacher/producer), Jarad, Antonio, Juan all look at footage from their film. The plot emerged when the teens were talking about their fears. This is true for Juan as well, who has a 90-year sentence. 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. In the past few years, however, officials in many states and in Washington, D.C., have been rethinking the clampdown. When he heard about the bill, he joined forces with screenwriter Gabriel Cowan to produce the documentary "They Call Us Monsters.". As any parent, teacher or person who has worked with teens will tell you, teenagers are impulsive. Of course, aging out of crime and violence can also be offset by a prison culture that doesnt allow you to change. Cast Jarad Nava , Juan Gamez , Antonio Hernandez | See Full Cast sonido original - EL NIO DE FUEGO. All three boys have children. Juan:Yes, I saw the movie, before release. 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.. The 2016 released documentary inspects the experience of three juvenile prisoners facing life time imprisonment in Los Angeles Juvenile Detention Centre. Instead of rehabilitating youth who have committed serious crimes, he says, its punishing them. Antonio has since re-offended. If they weren't waiting for a trial for a crime they committed, they appear to be typical American teenagers. To see the short film, "Los," written by Juan, Jarad, and Antonio, visit InsideOUT Writers. Have you seen They Call Us Monsters yet and if so what was your reaction to seeing yourself in the film? 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 some, they're kids. Receive a report. "[It's] the loss of innocence of this kid, who in this one day, nearly loses his virginity, smokes pot for the first time, gets kicked out of his house, sees a drive-by shooting, and all while trying to tell this girl that he loves her.". (SB 260 calls this diminished culpability.), Obviously, there are no easy answers. By 2010, about. Stay in touch. 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) Not just in the throes of puberty and adolescence but of self-discovery and coming of age.. Instead of facing my life I numbed myself to it and behaved immaturely.. They Call Us Monsters. activities. Meet Juan, Jarad, and Antonio, all in their teens, all facing decades in prison. Love does not conquer all nor is Lear suggesting this. 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. The film follows three juvenile offenders: Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava who signed up for a screenwriting class . To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. Gabriel Cowan teaches a screenwriting class to juvenile offenders at The Compound. Ben Lear. Emily Jordan is a YA writer living in New York City. Year. 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. Anyone can read what you share. . In They Call Us Monsters, Jarad Nava, Juan Gamez, and Antonio Hernandez are teenage inmates at Sylmar Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles.What makes that such a big deal? It concerns juveniles in California, accused of violent crimes,. 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). Buy $12.99. 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. All three face charges of attempted (or, in Juans case, first degree) murder. The dark. 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. 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. He commented that after the experience of making the film he no longer thinks that there is a type of person who can pull the trigger and one who cannot. Download a copy of Juan Gamezs complete handwritten letter. 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. gender, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or other legally-protected characteristic in its programs and HD. The prisoners are not made out to be innocent victims of the prison system; it was made clear that they committed serious crimes and are dealing with the repercussions. 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. You have to turn your life around to get parole. He approached fellow InsideOUT board member and founder of. As the screenwriting classes progress, Jarad, Anthony, and Juan become close, and they develop a bond with the screenwriting teacher. The film follows three juvenile offenders: Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava who signed up for a screenwriting class. 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. When Hernandez talks to the filmmakers at home, there are toddlers strewn all . Do they deserve a second chance? I do not agree. Granted time should be done, but if prison is for rehabilitation and you give a sixteen-year-old 40 years to life, after 10 years hes truly changed, you still keep him inside. 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. 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. Do they deserve a second chance? ENGLISH. 38 deaths from fire arms not ruled homicide. The Film. 2023 University of Redlands. They are lively, tattooed gangbanger street-wise kids, who show no remorse for their crimes. I got married to a beautiful amazing woman and we have two daughters, ones three, the second a [little] over one year. Prior to his imprisonment, Antonio was an honor roll student and he seemed like the perfect student up until his arrest. 7.0 1 h 21 min 2016 X-Ray 16+. Maybe that journey toward remorse and responsibility is different for everyone. 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. 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. The entire area of the brain that pertains to culpability and consequence and long-term thinking and impulsivity everything that comes together in the commission of a crime is not developed, the films director, Ben Lear, told JJIE. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. Juan and Jarad were 16 when they were arrested; Antonio was 14. Other stories Id like to tell I look around at the people around me and I see great stories of personal achievementsor overcoming struggles. (https://jjie.org/2017/02/08/meet-the-monsters-documentary-looks-at-california-juvenile-debate/). For Lear, who now sits on the InsideOUT Writers advisory board, the shift has been heartening. Since rehabilitation programs continue to be underfunded, the recidivism rate isnt likely to go down. [2][3], The documentary follows three young juvenile offenders who signed up for a screenwriting class with producer Gabriel Cowan as they await their respective trials in Los Angeles County. Theres not only capacity for change, theres also that oft-forgotten glimmer of a thing called hope. [1] The teenagers participate in a screenwriting class at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles, California with producer Gabriel Cowan. [Antonio was advised by his lawyer to decline a follow-up interview.] sonido original - PABLO CS. Juan and Jarad were 16 when they were arrested; Antonio was 14. And, I understand theyre just trying to keep the peace in the communities, which is real good, but I do feel that our youth has so much more potential and should be deal[t] with differently.. To their advocates, they're kids. The teenage girl Jarad shot is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. 2023 Independent Television Service (ITVS). Theyre held in a special wing of the lockup reserved for teens who will be standing trial as adults. being generous here 7 million pit bulls and Rottweilers and other dangerous breeds. Juan:Man, theres so many things the audience dont get to see, especially the fact that Im grown now. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to watch the film, as it provided me insight into the lives of an often-forgotten part of the population, educated me on the debate, about juvenile justice reform, and left me with a hunger to learn more. 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. 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. Justice is not to seek retribution or eye for an eye, but there were homicides what they did and must pay in that sense. It wasnt a direct line, it was a process that had zigzaggy lines. Juvenile court judges had made that decision. The film follows three young offenders who sign up to take a screenwriting class with producer Gabe Cowan as they await their respective trials. As prison reform continues to be a hot topic of conversation, Ben Lears They Call Us Monsters hopes to give voice to those inside the Compound. Cowan had the idea to starta screenwriting class for juvenile offenders after he gave a talk toincarcerated youth while working on another screenplay. Our organization retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. This is true for Juan as well, who has a 90-year sentence. They Call Us Monsters is a 2016 American documentary directed and produced by Ben Lear. Back in 2013, California was debating whether to give teenagers who committed violent crimes a second chance. To others, they're monsters Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. , a new documentary that follows their lives in a Los Angeles juvenile detention center. 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 Call Us Monsters is a loud plea for our need to rethink how we understand the American justice system. Unrated Starring Allegra Acosta, Nate Corddry, Gabriel Cowan. 1091 Media. 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. 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