Men with Guns, The Official Story, The Judge and the General - Essay Example

Men with Guns Men with Guns is a movie, which describes the horrible atrocities that are committed by the military and the guerrilla forces in an unnamed country in Latin America. It displays the brutality, which both of these forces mete out on the rural population, and this is used as a way of forcing these people to accept their authority (Andersen). Many of the events, which are shown in this movie, have taken place in Latin American past, especially in those countries which have witnessed civil wars as both the government, and the rebels fought to maintain or take power. In these power struggles, always the rural populations end up suffering by paying the price of such wars with their lives. These people are treated like pawns in such political struggles; the forces involved in such wars tend to secure their support through a display of torture and murder. Therefore, this support is not gained willingly, and is instead gained through fear. Examples of such brutality are shown in the movie, where it is seen that hundreds of men, women and children have been massacred by both the government forces and the rebels. This movie is a story of realization for the main character, Doctor Fuentes. This character is used as an example of those people who live in the cities of countries that have such conflicts. Doctor Fuentes displays the ignorance of the city people of the suffering, and brutality experienced by the people in the rural areas during such conflicts. When he is first exposed to these scenes when he visits the rural areas to find out the fate of his students, his isolated beliefs are suddenly shattered, and he is faced with the reality. In his journey to find out the fate of the medical students he trained, he is joined by a young orphan boy. It can be said that this boy is used as a sign of innocence by the writers of the movie. His duty as a guide as well as the knowledge, which he has of the countryside, is a vital asset to Doctor Fuentes. The boy’s character is shown to be wise beyond his years, and this helps to provide Fuentes with a clear knowledge in an unbiased manner (Mathews 14). This is because despite his being wise beyond his years, the boy is but a child, and can therefore, be said to be innocent. This innocent perspective is what makes Fuentes, as well as the audience, understand what is going on in the environment displayed in the movie. The character of the army deserter joins Fuentes and the boy, and he is used to enhance the image of the brutality of the various armed groups. It is said that this deserter could no longer bear to be a part of torture and murder that were being committed by the military, and this led to his desertion. In addition, another character that joins this small group is that of a priest who is guilt ridden. This priest can be said to be a representation of the Church in the country where the movie is set. When one considers the atrocities being committed by the armed groups, it shows that the Church in this country has failed in its duty of maintaining peace among the people, through uniting them in a common belief. Therefore, this can be the reason why the priest left his duties in the first place because he felt that he could no longer perform them effectively. The encounter of this group with two American tourists, and the ignorance of these tourists of the atrocities being committed by the government and rebel forces in this country is an image of the ignorance that is displayed by the international community when such crimes are committed. The two tourists are a sign of the inaction of the international community to stop the brutality which people in the rural areas live with in such conflicts. The international community tends to be remarkably ignorant of what goes on in countries, which experience civil wars. They only display an interest when it is found that their interests in such countries are threatened. The latter is exactly what happens with the two American tourists. They are ignorant, and show no interest, what is happening around them, and instead they roam the countryside enjoying their tour. The difficult journey of this group towards a village in the mountains, which is considered a haven, is a revelation for the movie’s audience. This mountain village is a symbol of hope in a background, which is dominated by violence; moreover, it is a symbol of hope in the belief that, the war will one day end and that peace will reign in the country once again. The journey, which the group makes in the countryside, is one of self-discovery, as each of the characters comes to forget their troubles, and isolation, concentrating instead at getting to their destination. This movie is a challenge to all those who watch it stop living in isolation, and go out to discover how compatriots live their lives, and experiences that they have gone through in their lives. The Official Story The Official Story is a movie set in Chile at a time when the Pinochet regime was still in power. It is set in a background where this rightwing regime was cracking down on some of its citizens. These were suspected of colluding with the leftist forces to take over the state. Thousands of people were arrested by the police, and many of them were tortured and murdered, disappearing without a trace. It was a time when families were forcefully split, as the government took parents away from their children and had them murdered. The children whose parents were murdered were taken by the government, and given to those officials who did not have children as rewards. This movie, therefore, is a story of one such a situation, and the events, which took place in a wife’s bid to discover the real parents of her adopted daughter. It reflective story of what was undergone by the families of those who lost their children, and those which adopted these children as their own. It is a display of the turmoil going on in the country reflected in the homes of officials in the Pinochet government. Many of the wives of the regime officials, who had adopted children, did not know where these children had come from, because their husbands kept it a secret from them. This movie shows the determinations of a wife not only to discover her daughter’s origins, but also to discover what was happening in her country. Each of the characters in the movie has been strategically placed by the writers, to represent a certain aspect of the repressive Pinochet regime, as well as those who opposed, or were affected by it. One of the main characters in the movie is Alicia, who is married to a powerful businessperson with strong connections with the Pinochet regime. She is seen to be a curious woman because, despite the happy life, which she leads with her husband and adopted daughter, she is still intensely curious of the latter’s origins. Her husband refuses to tell her what she wants to know, stating that it would violate the conditions, which were laid on him when adopting Gaby, their daughter. This does not stop Alicia, who sets out to find the truth about her daughter on her own. Alicia’s character can be said to be one whose purpose is to criticize. It is a criticism of the inaction by the general populace of Chile, even after witnessing the Pinochet regime’s murder of their fellow civilians (McCormick 47). This character is a symbol of courage and truth, as opposed to the cowardice, which was displayed by the majority of Chileans when they did not protest against government repression. Alicia’s courage is also a symbol of the empowerment of women in Chile at a time when most of them only functioned in the background. It is also a criticism of the international community from taking action against the Pinochet regime, even after they found out about what was going on in Chile. Alicia’s journey of discovery leads her to finding out about the origins of her daughter. However, with this discovery come even more revelations, not only about her husband, but also about the government with which he associated himself. Alicia is used as a revealer of the atrocities committed by the Chilean government of the time. The fate of the majority of lost children is found out: they were taken from their parents and given to those childless couples who were loyal to the regime. The parents of these children, on the other hand, were murdered and their bodies disposed of secretly by the government. Roberto, Alicia’s husband, is seen to be staunchly loyal to the Pinochet regime, and is always portrayed as defending its actions. Roberto’s character, it is suggested, is representative of all those people who blindly supported the Pinochet regime, choosing not to question its actions. The movie uses this character to criticize such people, because if they had chosen to protest these actions, then perhaps many Chilean lives would have been saved, and many families would still be united with their loved ones, especially their children. Therefore, it can be said that this movie is a criticism of the inaction displayed by the Chileans, while their government was committing atrocities against them and those that they considered close to them. The Judge and the General The Judge and the General is a movie that follows a Chilean judge as he uncovers the atrocities, which were committed in his country, by the government of the former dictator, Augusto Pinochet. This movie is one of personal revelation and discovery for Guzman, because early in his career, he had supported the actions of the late dictator (Harvey 39). In the movie, Guzman confesses to have played a role in the atrocities because, as a court clerk, he had the power to ignore some of the trumped up charges brought against certain civilians. Instead, he was among those who approved these cases to go on trial, which resulted in the death of many of those accused. Since Guzman had previously supported the regime, not particularly much, in terms of investigations, was expected of him. However, as the movie progresses, it is revealed that Guzman was indeed extraordinarily diligent in his work, and his investigations unearthed more than was expected. In the movie, one detects a deep sense of regret from Judge Guzman, as he realizes that his beliefs were gravely mistaken. What he considered right turned out to be a false image, having been propped up by the Pinochet regime to garner the support of the Chilean populace. When one closely follows the movie, it is discovered that the pace taken to bring Pinochet to justice is too slow. Because of this, the former dictator was not brought to justice, as he passed away while charges against him were still pending in court. Despite the slow pace of justice against Pinochet, the efforts of Guzman, and others like him, to make sure that the blame for the disappearances in Chile were assessed, and those who disappeared were not forgotten, is highly commendable. The film goes through the dark years of the Pinochet regime, revealing exactly what happened with a new and clear view. This movie can be considered a symbol of hope for all those Chileans, who were affected by the regime, that justice would be done. As one follows Guzman as he conducts, systematically, his investigations, one does not help but realize that this man is seeking redemption for his past actions. This redemption is likely to be achieved through his meticulous investigations, as well as the closure, which is to be brought to families when they find out the fate of their loved ones. The film takes many years in the making, and this helps to show just how much Guzman is determined to find out the truth about the murders committed by the Pinochet regime. When asked why he is so determined in his investigations, Guzman states that Chile has to learn the truth in order to be able to move on into the future. If all details concerning the murder and torture are revealed, perhaps even those who still support the actions of Pinochet will come to realize that they were backing a ruthless person. Pinochet did not make his country better, and instead gave it a wound that will be exceedingly difficult to heal. Works Cited Andersen, Soren. "Movie Review: 'Men with Guns' Fine Tale of Personal, Political Discovery." The News Tribune: 0. Print. Harvey, Dennis. "The Judge and the General." Variety 2008: 39. Print Mathews, Jack. "Movie Review; Sayles again Goes His Own Way with Effective 'Guns'." Los Angeles Times: 14. Mar 13 1998. Print. McCormick, Patrick. "The Official Story." U.S.Catholic 2001: 47. Print Read More