You see this same willful blindness in the PBS documentary They Call Us Monsters. 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. 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. Do they deserve a second chance? 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. But by the end of the 10 weeks, Cowan says, they were all friends. Director.. Monsters is a 2010 British science fiction horror film written and directed by Gareth Edwards in his feature film directorial debut. Summary. Their task is to create a screenplay that will be produced outside of the prison by their teacher. To their critics, they're monsters. PBS Independent Lens airs the film on Monday, May 22. Juan and Jarad were 16 when they were arrested; Antonio was 14. For more information, visit: She weeps as she talks about the harrowing moment in which she thought she was going to die. To their advocates, theyre kids. 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. I appreciate the support and open-mindedness.. We see excerpts from the result. 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. There are many that we will not be able to save. Juvenile Justice Information Exchange HD. To the system, theyre adults. Not just in the throes of puberty and adolescence but of self-discovery and coming of age.. Antonio Hernandez (@antoniohernandez517)s videos with sonido original - PABLO CS | TikTok. They Call Us Monsters aired on PBS in the spring. They seem like typical American teenagers if they . 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.'" Antonio Hernandez is the second kid we learn about in the film. This documentary, directed by Ben Lear (the son of legendary TV producer Norman Lear), is one of the few I have seen to . 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. Last edited on 2 September 2022, at 03:33, "Meet the 'Monsters:' Documentary Looks at California Juvenile Debate", "Review: 'They Call Us Monsters,' but Do We Deserve Life Sentences? TikTok video from Antonio Hernandez (@antoniohernandez517). Ones kicking himself over an unrequited lifelong crush. Are you allowed to watch anything? Since the documentary was produced in 2013, the initial parole bill, SB 230, passed, along with other bills that decrease juvenile sentencing. They are lively, tattooed gangbanger street-wise kids, who show no remorse for their crimes. 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. Our organization retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. Are there any TV or movies that would inspire you in trying to do your own film? TikTok video from Editorial Applehead (@appleheadteam): "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. 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. Of course, aging out of crime and violence can also be offset by a prison culture that doesnt allow you to change. come up for parole in 20-25 years, instead of the 80 or 90 years he would have had with a 160-year sentence. , 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. December 21, . 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. 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. The teenage girl Jarad shot is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. 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. Maybe that journey toward remorse and responsibility is different for everyone. Sitting in his white undershirt, he tries to reconcile the number of years Jarad. You have to love it out of them, Cowan says. 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 . Theres not only capacity for change, theres also that oft-forgotten glimmer of a thing called hope. Reviews for January 20th, 2017 Documentary Round-Up. Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava are the youthful offenders at the heart of "They Call Us Monsters," a new documentary that follows their lives in a Los Angeles juvenile detention center. Theyd seem like typical teenage boys if they werent awaiting trial for violent crimes. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. TikTok video from Antonio Hernandez (@antoniohernandez5046). Capturan en Altavista al delincuente Nelson Antonio Hernndez, alias El Maligno. To others, they're . 1091 Media. 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. This reality recalls a moment from the beginning of the film when the boys are taking Cowan on a tour of the facilities at Sylmar, clean but stark if decorated with names of NFL teams. To their victims, they're monsters. Three kids facing life in prison. Im not that 17 or 18-year-old boy anymore. 2023 Independent Television Service (ITVS). 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. Language. 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. I was filled with conflicting emotions throughout. All three boys have children. As the film reveals, in the last four years, the state has passed bills to decrease juvenile sentencing a move that re-sparked a national debate over the very nature of these violent juvenile offenders. 2017. 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. Over the course of a few months, Learfilmed Cowan working with three teenagers -- Juan Gamez, Jarad Nava and Antonio Hernandez -- who were awaiting trial, some facing sentences more than 100 years long. On Wednesday, July 12th, Sol Collective hosted a film screening of the Netflix documentary "They Call Us Monsters" The film features three boys, Jarad Nava, Juan Gamez, and Antonio Hernandez, who are all facing life sentences for murder or attempted murder and work together to write a screenplay about their lives before they were incarcerated. Ive since chosento leave the criminal lifestyle in my past and serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He approached fellow InsideOUT board member and founder of. One of the victims of Jarads shooting is only 17 and permanently confined to a wheelchair. This doc examines how minors are regarded in the justice system. You cannot punish trauma out of somebody. These people have to do their time. They Call Us Monsters. 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. Im Juan, Jarad and Antonio at "The Compound," a high-security Los Angeles facility for juvenile offenders. 17.9K Likes, 65 Comments. 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. Meet the Monsters: Documentary Looks at California Juvenile Debate. sonido original - Antonio Hernandez. They Call Us Monsters contrasts the actions that have the three prisoners facing life sentences and glimpses of their jovial boyhood still remaining. Mothers staying home to care for their children. 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. Who you are as a teenager is not who you are when you grow up.. 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. Crime Meet Juan, Jarad, and Antonio, all in their teens, all facing decades in prison. Gabriel Cowan teaches a screenwriting class to juvenile offenders at The Compound. 7 talking about this. 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. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. 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. 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. 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. Musica para Noticias 2 - Musica para Noticias. TikTok video from Antonio hernandez (@edgar_heernadez). Sitting in his white undershirt, he tries to reconcile the number of years Jarad still has left on his sentence: 162. being generous here 7 million pit bulls and Rottweilers and other dangerous breeds. Antonio has since re-offended. I dont usually watch TV shows like that, but I do like The Big Bang Theory, The X-Files, American Ninja Warrior, I catch them from time to time. [He adds that nothing hes watched has inspired him as far as doing his own film.]. 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 "They Call Us Monsters" looks at societal issues such as the processing of juvenile offenders ages 14-16 in the criminal justice system as adults. When he heard about the bill, he joined forces with screenwriter Gabriel Cowan to produce the documentary "They Call Us Monsters.". 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. 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. It is available for streaming on both Netflix and iTunes. 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. In California, juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17 can be tried as adults and receive sentences longer than their natural life expectancy. Though not everyone would be lucky enough to benefit from this process a whole other story some people who were serving life sentences for offenses they had committed as youths suddenly found themselves eligible for release. The first individual we come across is Antonio, who was arrested at the age of 14-years-old. The film documents one of his first visits, when he asksthe group to list their fears. 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. 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. 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. Their parents grew up in identical conditions before them and know nothing of survival in an "acceptable" way because they have NEVER been given instruction. Love does not conquer all nor is Lear suggesting this. While in the courthouse representing himself for the hearing about her murder, he asked the judge if he could use the law . Upload your text file or copy the materials to the field. This is true for Juan as well, who has a 90-year sentence. 9.2K Likes, 42 Comments. 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. Theyre held in a special wing of the lockup reserved for teens who will be standing trial as adults. See production, box office & company info, Self - California State Assembly Member (D). Read more, EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE POLICY To some, they're kids. 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. Emily Jordan is a YA writer living in New York City. Stay in touch. The girl in Los turns out to be Abby, the love of Juans life whom he let get away. Change is possible but forgiveness is needed.. Next, Jarad sings a lyric from Hotel California that again captures the No Exit quality of the whole story: You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.. They have to pay for what they did, Lear said. 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.. Theyre held in a special wing of the lockup reserved for teens who will be standing trial as adults. What other stories would you like to tell in film or writing? Want to know more about this blog or how to get into contact with us? Cowan conceptualized the idea to teach screenwriting and then produce and shoot a movie from the script the kids wrote. The kids needing to find monies for their families. Juvenile court judges had made that decision. Of course, I would like to participate in activities like those even though Im incarcerated. Powerful new documentary 'They Call Us Monsters' follows three teen boys who face life sentences for their violent crimes. When Hernandez talks to the filmmakers at home, there are toddlers strewn all . 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. Cast Jarad Nava , Juan Gamez , Antonio Hernandez | See Full Cast 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.. 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. They Call Us Monsters. 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 To their advocates, they're kids. 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. Crime. To others, they're monsters Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. Juan:Yeah, Jarad and I were tripping out on how many times we came out shaking hands. She weeps as she talks about the harrowing moment in which she thought she was going to die. It follows three residents at Barry J. Nidorf. 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. 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 do not agree. You can see them hugging, you can see they felt a lot of success together, they went through a real experience together.. The University of Redlands does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, PBS Independent Lens airs the film on Monday, May 22. (alumni participate in group gatherings called Writing Circles, where young people come together to share their work and talk). [2] [3] Premise [ edit] , would allow juveniles to become eligible for parole earlier in their sentencing, after serving at least 15 years. What would the victims think? If they weren't waiting for a trial for a crime they committed, they appear to be typical American teenagers. But we believe its crucial and we think you agree. 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