But we did hear back from Juan Gamez and Jarad Nava, both of whom are currently serving life sentences. Seems like maybe youre afraid of the question.. Theyre held in a special wing of the lockup reserved for teens who will be standing trial as adults. Encouraged by Cowan and his classmates, Juan ended up calling his 10 year-old crush inside the jail. 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. Our news judgments are made independently not based on or influenced by donors. 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. Are you allowed to watch anything? If they weren't waiting for a trial for a crime they committed, they appear to be typical American teenagers. They Call Us Monsters is a 2016 American documentary directed and produced by Ben Lear. Be more independent. While the gravity of their crimes is great, these young men are still simply teenagers. To their advocates, theyre kids. Every bit helps. 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. Weve posted their answers below, and also included the original letters if youd like to see an authentically handwritten response. , a new documentary that follows their lives in a Los Angeles juvenile detention center. 7 talking about this. 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. Juan:Yeah, Jarad and I were tripping out on how many times we came out shaking hands. The girl in Los turns out to be Abby, the love of Juans life whom he let get away. Juan:Yes, I saw the movie, before release. PBS Independent Lens airs the film on Monday, May 22. Later, he calls Abby and uses Los as a script to narrate the depth of his feelings. Cast Jarad Nava, Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez | See Full Cast 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. "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. The documentary features three juvenile offenders: Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez, and Jarad Nava. Watch They Call Us Monsters (2016) full movie online for free Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders. were being prosecuted in adult courts every year, according to the Campaign for Youth Justice, which opposes the practice. 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. I must say God is good despite where I came from, God has me living in the now looking forward and learning from the past. Change is possible but forgiveness is needed.. Juan and Jarad were 16 when they were arrested; Antonio was 14. 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.. All three boys have children. Lears documentary follows three boys living in such a compound who signed up for a screenwriting class: Antonio Hernandez, Jarad Nava, and Juan Gamez. 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. "They Call Us Monsters," directed by Ben Lear (Norman Lear's son), might seem like a straightforward advocacy documentary. 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.. Jarad:No because for one police officers manipulate juveniles through coercion to admit to information that they may actually be innocent of. sonido original - EL NIO DE FUEGO. Another leads you on a mocking tour of his new home. However, he re-entered prison after being tried as an adult for two robberies. TikTok video from antonio hernandez (@antonio_hernandezzz): "#fyp #foryou #foryoupage #trending #viral #foru #fyp". To pass the time, they sign up for a screenwriting class and collaborate on a short film about their lives, including . The first individual we come across is Antonio, who was arrested at the age of 14-years-old. [1] The teenagers participate in a screenwriting class at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles, California with producer Gabriel Cowan. 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. The proposed bill, SB 260, would allow juveniles to become eligible for parole earlier in their sentencing, after serving at least 15 years. I appreciate the support and open-mindedness.. Antonio Hernnde4490 (@antoniohernandez0220)s videos with sonido original - Antonio Hernnde4490 | TikTok. To others, they're monsters. Little Hope Was Arson: A Letter from a Texas Jail, Ben Lear Shows Reality and Human Face of Juvenile Justice System. And thats part of what I think works so well with these art programs. To some, they're kids. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. Rent $4.99. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all between 14 and 16, face decades in prison. These people have to do their time. If I learned one thing about myself Id say it is that the camera loves me. It is available for streaming on both Netflix and iTunes. I was raised by the juvenile system thanks to a mother who really didnt wanna be a mom anymore and thats putting it nicely All rights reserved. It concerns juveniles in California, accused of violent crimes,. Love does not conquer all nor is Lear suggesting this. Juan Gamez has close-cropped, black hair and a baby face that remains expressionless except when he smiles. The kids needing to find monies for their families. Powerful new documentary 'They Call Us Monsters' follows three teen boys who face life sentences for their violent crimes. 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. come up for parole in 20-25 years, instead of the 80 or 90 years he would have had with a 160-year sentence. 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. He approached fellow InsideOUT board member and founder of The Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Scott Budnick (The Hangover) who executive produced the They Call Us Monsters as a labor of love. All three face charges of attempted (or, in Juans case, first degree) murder. Press Check button. Find out where to watch online amongst 45+ services including Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video. 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. Want to know more about this blog or how to get into contact with us? From the film, I learned many juveniles convicted of serious crimes are tried as adults and kept in a separate compound. There are currently no airings of They Call Us Monsters. Jarad Nava and Antonio Hernandez (Hernandez is released partway . It follows three residents at Barry J. Nidorf. Ben Lear graduated from NYU in 2010 with a degree in music composition. His answer Yes, but inside the jail is another jail articulates the Sartre-esqe morass of life inside a broken system, as do the ubiquitous signs on the walls that read "NO! Advertisement. 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. activities. They Call Us Monsters. 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. 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. Sorry your mother did what she did to you, it seems you are better off, Im sure it still hurts. Nevertheless, it proved to be very insightful because I [saw] how I was coping with pain, hurt and the fact I forfeited my freedom. StarringJarad Nava Juan Gamez Antonio Hernandez Darrell Edwards Allegra Acosta Joel Anderson Richard Bloom Nate Corddry As Lear describes it, nothing could have prepared him for what he encountered once he walked into the prison: this was a classroom full of kids these were teenagers that are so obviously that age. Help bring programs like Independent Lens to your PBS station. 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. They Call Us Monsters, directed by Ben Lear (Norman Lears son), might seem like a straightforward advocacy documentary. To the system, theyre adults. But the movie benefits from an added layer: A screenwriting teacher who gets to know three teenagers awaiting trial. 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.'" Three young violent offenders learn screenwriting in one of LA's high-security detention centers. 14 deaths from dangerous dog breeds. Crime Meet Juan, Jarad, and Antonio, all in their teens, all facing decades in prison. Ive since chosento leave the criminal lifestyle in my past and serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The show, which was created in partnership with InsideOUT Writers, features interviews and work from Read more, DIVERSITY, EQUITY and INCLUSION We thought that was funny. We have a small favor to ask. Starring Jarad Nava . 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. 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. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. All three boys have, ------------------------------------------. Jarad and Juan are currently serving the remainder of their sentence at Ironwood state prison. 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. One of the victims of Jarads shooting is only 17 and permanently confined to a wheelchair. Antonio Hernandez is the second kid we learn about in the film. Sign up for our daily newsletter. Language. 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. Watch on. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. 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. 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. with lengthy sentences, regardless of the fact that, as adolescents, they have no ability to see beyond the orbit of their own experience. . Ben Lear. 83%. 1 They Call us Monsters, for me, was more than just another Netflix documentary. Documentary. 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. Antonio Hernandez, and Jarad Nava. But thethree boys decided to do something mutually biographical. You see this same willful blindness in the PBS documentary They Call Us Monsters. 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. Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. Of course, I would like to participate in activities like those even though Im incarcerated. 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. Juan, Jarad and Antonio, all young teens, face decades in prison. Do they deserve a second chance? In California, the parole bill featured in Monsters ultimately passed in 2013. As the screenwriting classes progress, Jarad, Anthony, and Juan become close, and they develop a bond with the screenwriting teacher. 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. You have to turn your life around to get parole. Dont loose HOPE and have FAITH, I agree with you 100% Patty. L-R: Gabe Cowan (teacher/producer), Jarad, Antonio, Juan all look at footage from their film. Of course, aging out of crime and violence can also be offset by a prison culture that doesnt allow you to change. that, according to Budnick, Cowan, Lear and other prison-reform policy advocates, differentiates the young person from the adult. Antonio: Fear of trust, fear of being alone, fear of public speaking, and fear of vulnerability,, Juan: Death, loneliness, darkness, and love. The teenage girl Jarad shot is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Since the documentary was produced in 2013, the initial parole bill, SB 230, passed, along with other bills that decrease juvenile sentencing. . Back in 2013, California was debating whether to give teenagers who committed violent crimes a second chance. Hernandez was arrested at 14 for two attempted murders, and faced a 90-year life sentence but was granted parole for good behavior during filming since he was still under the age of 18. These are young men who will be tried as adults for violent crimes and face decades, if not hundreds of years in adult jails. I do not think so. .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. 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. 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. I do not agree. The dark. Sign up for our newsletter and receive the coolest updates! they're kids. Do they deserve a second chance? Who Creates the Dragons Brave Knights must Slay? 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.. 5 Heartbreaking Facts From They Call Us Monsters Doc on Latino Teens Facing Life in Jail. 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 . gender, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or other legally-protected characteristic in its programs and The remark encapsulated the feeling I was left with after observing the film. They Call Us Monsters takes viewers behind the walls of the Compound, the facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. You can see why we need to ask for your help. Lear was available for questions after the showing at Redlands. Juan was charged with murder, while Jarad and Antonio were accused of attempted murder. [1] The teenagers participate in a screenwriting class at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles, California with producer Gabriel Cowan. What is the value of a life? Juan Gamez, Antonio Hernandez and Jarad Nava are the three juvenile offenders who got featured in the documentary. This is true for Juan as well, who has a 90-year sentence. Help bring programs like Independent Lens to your PBS station. 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. 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. See production, box office & company info, Self - California State Assembly Member (D). [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. 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. Calls Abby and uses Los as a script to narrate the depth of his feelings no of! A 160-year sentence the remainder of their crimes is great, these young are... 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