For those who haven't seen the movie, it is based on kidnappings. On a side note, it seemed that EVERYONE in Mexico was corrupt, protected by a ring of brothers called "el hermanidad" which literally translates to the brotherhood.
Its a pretty good movie, and I recommend it.
Dear Kevin,
ReplyDeletethere is a series of feature films on the topic of the murders, Bordertown (2006), and El Traspatio (2009).
Global issues are more and more emerging in feature films, and that documentaries on global issues become more and more popular. I will be organizing a panel on global issues in contemporary cinema this April in a conference.
Holy cow, I never even remembered that movie being based on the murders in Ciudad Juarez until I read the articles for the readings.
ReplyDeleteI find it similiar to the film called "Stop-Loss", which was directed by Kimberly Peirce. Stop-loss wasn't really a word in anyone's vocabulary until the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan picked up and the "surge" had not yet occured. Overworked, overtired, battered and bruised soldiers were being held in record numbers by Paragraph 10 (c-d) of their enlistment contract (DD Form 4/1, JAN 2001) which allowed the government to prolong the service of military personnel in combat zones. It was being used to fulfill the requirements of lacking numbers of recruits and qualified personnel, at the expense of morale, families, equipment and increased risks of death and injury. Use this link to read what the actual contract states:
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/19_03/military_enlistment.pdf
It wasn't until the complaints of many parents and families to the US government that any of this hardship was acknowledged. Personnel were returning from one 15 month tour in a hot zone, only to return in 90 days to another 15 month tour. Here's an article from USA Today that explains alot on the subject:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2008-04-21-stoploss_N.htm
It's sad really, that such things go unnoticed and unmentionned for so long, and it's interesting to see how the major news networks miss so much, or don't bother with things that won't capture an audience. I suppose we're lucky to have all these gizmos and devices that allow the individual or the stoic reporter to get the news and information that no one else will.
This was a really good post Kevin, it's always good to point out the not-so obvious that's always been right out there!
-Ian
-Ian
Good issue to bring up Ian. I think it has become apparent that the news networks do not find it in their best interest to question military polices. There is obviously a great deal of information on any of these important issues out there, but sadly whatever the cable news networks choose to ignore will go unnoticed by the general population. I find it very interesting that Hollywood now is starting to pick up important global issues that the cable news networks are avoiding. As news becomes more and more about entertainment, its nice to see entertainment deal with the serious issues.
ReplyDelete