I really was." 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. Antonio Hernandez & Omar Montes 01:00 220 They Call Me Monster Mike Monster Mike Welch 01:00 1 What They Call Us? Help bring programs like Independent Lens to your PBS station. Antonio, one of Jarad's inmates, is blindsided by the news that he will be a free man. Toward the end of "They Call Us Monsters," Antonio has been released. University of Redlands Emergency Alert System, Alert Received: . 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. To others, they're monsters Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. Halfway through the class, Antonio returns to juvenile court and gets released with time served. 38 deaths from fire arms not ruled homicide. Do they deserve a second chance? Juan:We are allow[ed] to watch TV, we can have our own [set] in the cell. The film follows three young offenders who sign up to take a screenwriting class with producer Gabe Cowan as they await their respective trials. Download a copy of Jarad Navas complete handwritten letter. The film was written in an InsideOUT Writers class taught by Gabriel Cowan which is featured in the documentary THEY CALL US MONSTERS directed by Ben Lear. Moved by his friends predicament, he says that he wants to become successful for him. SD. 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.. He receives a letter from Jarad. Its this capacity for change that, according to Budnick, Cowan, Lear and other prison-reform policy advocates, differentiates the young person from the adult. The show, which was created in partnership with InsideOUT Writers, features interviews and work from While the gravity of their crimes is great, these young men are still simply teenagers. sonido original - Editorial Applehead. 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. Im guessing people probably think were still in the same mindset, and doing the same stuff. Juan:Yeah, Jarad and I were tripping out on how many times we came out shaking hands. It is our responsibility to help the youth that want help. The Film. They Call Us Monsters 83% HD CC Documental 1h 21 minutos 2017 Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. TALKING" while everyone blathers on regardless. , Scott Budnick (The Hangover) who executive produced the They Call Us Monsters as a labor of love. As the boys work with Gabe on their screenplay, their complex stories are revealed. 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. 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. We see excerpts from the result. At times Jarad, who faces 200 years for four attempted murders, demonstrates an almost dissociative denial that borders on sociopathic. He receives a letter from Jarad. , would allow juveniles to become eligible for parole earlier in their sentencing, after serving at least 15 years. As the screenwriting classes progress, Jarad, Anthony, and Juan become close, and they develop a bond with the screenwriting teacher. (SB 260 calls this diminished culpability.), Obviously, there are no easy answers. As any parent, teacher or person who has worked with teens will tell you, teenagers are impulsive. Juan said he was in love with a girl when he was 10, but was too scared to tell her. "They Call Us Monsters," a film by Norman Lear's son Ben Lear, was released earlier this year and became available on Netflix in late May. As They Call Us Monsters hopes to broaden the conversation on juvenile offenders, here are five eye-opening facts we learned from watching Lears documentary. It is available for streaming on both Netflix and iTunes. Not just in the throes of puberty and adolescence but of self-discovery and coming of age.. These are young men who will be tried as adults for violent crimes and face decades, if not hundreds of years in adult jails. With powerful subject matter and masterful conceptualization, the film was captivating, each scene leaving me eager to find out how the story and those featured in it would develop. 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. Juan, Jarad and Antonio at "The Compound," a high-security Los Angeles facility for juvenile offenders. Documentary 2017 1 hr 21 min iTunes. Sign up for our daily newsletter. Press Check button. 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. Thats whendirector Ben Learknew he had a film to make. She weeps as she talks about the harrowing moment in which she thought she was going to die. 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. We are committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization. The Los Angeles Film Festivalruns June 1-9, 2016. To their critics, they're monsters. Ones kicking himself over an unrequited lifelong crush. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. There are currently no airings of They Call Us Monsters. Download a copy of Juan Gamezs complete handwritten letter. This article about a biographical documentary film is a stub. However, he re-entered prison after being tried as an adult for two robberies. Cowan conceptualized the idea to teach screenwriting and then produce and shoot a movie from the script the kids wrote. Antonio Hernandez is the second kid we learn about in the film. If everyone who reads our reporting helps to pay for it, our future would be much more secure. It establishes a parole process with different criteria.. that, according to Budnick, Cowan, Lear and other prison-reform policy advocates, differentiates the young person from the adult. (SB 260 calls this diminished culpability.). Want to know more about this blog or how to get into contact with us? Instead of facing my life I numbed myself to it and behaved immaturely.. Receive a report. Three kids facing life in prison. Buy $12.99. 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. "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 . 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? What is going on in these cities that so many young teens are being charged for gang-related murders? 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. I dont know if its because I was acting like a fool. gender, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or other legally-protected characteristic in its programs and Directed By. So most of the time, its easier for them to just be kids when theyre locked up.. Sitting in his white undershirt, he tries to reconcile the number of years Jarad. Cowan saysthe juvenile justice system in California is broken. Its a lot harder for him to find drugs. 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. 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. HD. He asks them to write down five things they fear. The law went into effect January 1, 2014. To their victims, they're monsters. 2023 University of Redlands. When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted. 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. Juan:Yes, I saw the movie, before release. Watch They Call us Monsters 2016 full Movie free, download they call us monsters 2016. The girl in Los turns out to be Abby, the love of Juans life whom he let get away. Juan Gamez has close-cropped, black hair and a baby face that remains expressionless except when he smiles. I appreciate the support and open-mindedness.. Reflecting back on his first week teaching his screenwriting class, Cowan says he was struck by the teens saying they don't have friends. The first individual we come across is Antonio, who was arrested at the age of 14-years-old. INDEPENDENT LENS: THEY CALL US MONSTERS 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). ", "THEY CALL US MONSTERS Premieres on PBS' Independent Lens 5/22", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=They_Call_Us_Monsters&oldid=1108017152, This page was last edited on 2 September 2022, at 03:33. Hes no longer actively gangbanging. 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). , 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. 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. Later, he calls Abby and uses Los as a script to narrate the depth of his feelings. 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. By 2010, about. ", But then, Jarad counters, No, Im not scared of the dark., Seems like youre avoiding the question, Cowan replies. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. "They Call Us Monsters," created by Ben Lear son of Norman Lear, features Pomona resident Jarad Nava and two other teens at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar and raises the question. 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. To the system, they're adults. And, even if he is released, Juan faces deportation and separation from his family, including his infant son. . Obviously, there are no easy answers. Watch They Call Us Monsters (2016) full movie online for free Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders. Year. This is precisely the case of the three main subjects of Lears documentary. sonido original - Antonio Hernnde4490. But we did hear back from Juan Gamez and Jarad Nava, both of whom are currently serving life sentences. Meet the Monsters: Documentary Looks at California Juvenile Debate. 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. Directors Ben Lear Starring Jarad Nava, Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez Genres Documentary Subtitles English [CC] From the film, I learned many juveniles convicted of serious crimes are tried as adults and kept in a separate compound. Prior to his imprisonment, Antonio was an honor roll student and he seemed like the perfect student up until his arrest. https://redlandsalert.com/. Available on iTunes Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders. It's a High Security Compound in which we're introduced to four juvenile inmates: Jarad Nava arrested at 16 and facing 200 years to life for . [Antonio was advised by his lawyer to decline a follow-up interview.] They Call Us Monsters. .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. You cant punish trauma out of a child, you have to love it out of them, he says. Are our past actions a direct reflection of our character? Do they deserve a second chance? The process of transforming real details into fiction seems to make the young men especially introspective. 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. His face during this moment, the flicker of anguish and regret, is full of pathos. Im a believer in the parole process, Lear says. It wasnt a direct line, it was a process that had zigzaggy lines. 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. He approached fellow InsideOUT board member and founder of. There are many that we will not be able to save. The University of Redlands does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, By 2010, about 250,000 teens were being prosecuted in adult courts every year, according to the Campaign for Youth Justice, which opposes the practice. Antonio Hernndez, director de "Capitn Trueno y El Santo Grial", recibe el Premio Applehead Sah-Di-A 2023 y nos enva un saludo. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. A scene in which Juan calls a girl he had a crush on, while a listening staff member roots for him, provides the films most oddly affecting moment. 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 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. Of course, aging out of crime and violence can also be offset by a prison culture that doesnt allow you to change. I so support these boys and hope they dont have to spend there years stuck for a stupid mistake they now regret To pass the time, they sign up for a screenwriting class and collaborate on a short film about their lives, including . come up for parole in 20-25 years, instead of the 80 or 90 years he would have had with a 160-year sentence. 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. "There's homies and there's enemies,"he says they told him. Also, people who have done enough time in prison age out of violent crime in their thirties and forties. Hello. They Call Us Monsters takes viewers behind the walls of the Compound, the facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. Director Benjamin Lear . What would the victims think? Toward the end of They Call Us Monsters, Antonio has been released. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. Antonio, Juan and Jarad are enrolled in a 20-week screenwriting course taught by Gabe Cowan, and through clips of their classes and the fictional scenarios they develop, "They Call Us. Los ends up being, of all things, a love story. Love does not conquer all nor is Lear suggesting this. Was there anything that tripped you out or that you learned about yourself after watching the movie? They Call Us Monsters Juan Gamez (Actor), Antonio Hernandez (Actor), Ben Lear (Director) Format: DVD 155 ratings IMDb 7.0/10.0 $2495 Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime & FREE Returns Prime Video $3.99 $10.99 DVD $24.95 Additional DVD options Edition Discs Price New from Used from DVD September 5, 2017 1 $24.95 $24.95 $19.87 This is true for Juan as well, who has a 90-year sentence. 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. The protagonist of Los emanates vulnerability where the boys act tough and make jokes as a form of self-protection. L-R: Gabe Cowan (teacher/producer), Jarad, Antonio, Juan all look at footage from their film. 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