Given the opportunity to view the documentary Granito: How to Nail a Dictator with the director herself, was a recent experience at North Central that I was quite excited about! I was also surprised to find such a packed room as well, to the point that the viewing of the film was delayed trying to accommodate everyone. The documentary was broken down into three sections: A Chronicle Foretold, Genocide on Trial, and Grains of Sand.
As someone who is really passionate about learning more of other cultures and their history, I really didn't know that much of the genocide that had occurred in Guatemala. I had only heard of this rather recently from friends abroad and never once recall learning about this in school. Yet I think that is where Granito began to falter. Much of the film was based around the filmmaker's prior film, When the Mountains Tremble, but I felt that at times I was left with questions about the genocide itself that I am assuming was answered in the earlier documentary. On the other hand, various segments of Granito seemed to be drawn out.
I wanted to learn more about this horrible atrocity that took over 200,000 people from Guatemala and these two dictators that led this genocide. I was preparing myself for Pamela Yates' to find foolproof evidence of these men but instead was led astray into several different stories. There were so many different story plots covered (the Spanish judge, victims who survived the atrocity, a woman who lost her father, an anthropologist, and more) all packed in a little more than an hour.
Overall, I left exhausted (and a strained neck from trying to peer over heads to read the many subtitles) by trying to follow all of the different subplots within Granito. I did enjoy thoroughly hearing more about it from Pamela Yates herself, and to hear that justice is slowly coming full circle.
I agree. I was hoping to learn more about the genocide as well, and I too assume more of it was covered in the previous documentary. I was dumbfounded as to how no one could find evidence to prove these dictators were at fault, and were behind the leading of the genocide. From one story to another, we were led down a path of hope that slowly turned, because no "foolproof evidence," as you state, was discovered, and therefore these stories just introduced how hurt and effected so many families and people were.
ReplyDeleteAfter sitting there reading subtitle after subtitle, I was hoping the end of the documentary would have been seeing justice brought about completely, but as you say Nicole, it was nice to know that it is slowly coming about and that they are working to make it happen.
It was exciting to have a packed house at a cultural event! I wish that we had more time speaking to Yates more about her experience. She kept saying "Oh we can carry our conversation on facebook." I'm sorry I don't want to carry my conversation onto facebook or email. You are here at my school in the same with me. I want to talk with you face to face. It baffles me when we have these events, they don't give ample time for question and answer time after the film is over. The film should have started an hour and a half earlier. Then we could have ALL enjoyed her personal stories at the end. Instead we were shoved out of that room like cattle.
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