Product DescriptionLa Sierra is a barrio in Medellin, Colombia - the cocaine capital of the world.Here, lives are defined by drugs, guns and violence. A state of perptual urban warfare exists, with paramilitary gangs, leftist guerrillas and the US-sponsored Colombian military battling continually for power and control. This award-winning film portrays three of La Sierra's inhabitants: 22-year-old paramilitary leader Edison, a self-professed killer and father of six children by six women; gang soldier Jesus, ready for death at any moment; and Cielo, only 17 and already a mother with a boyfriend in prison. Entering a world where few journalists dare to venture, LA SIERRA reveals not only startling moments of violence and its aftermath, but also those of tenderness and faith which give the community hope for survival. - Actors: Edison Flores, Jesús MartÃnez (III), Cielo Muñoz
- Director: Scott Dalton (II)
- Director: Margarita Martinez
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
- Format: Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language (Original Language): Spanish
- Language (Subtitled): English
- Release Date: 2007-02-20
- Running Time: 84 minutes
- Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Customer ReviewsReviewed on 2007-07-16 
Three Young Lives In A Crime Ridden Medellin Neighborhood
My wife is originally from Ecuador and has good friends in Colombia. So far I have visited the country three times and have developed considerable affection and admiration for its people, the majority of whom of are honest, good hearted, law abiding citizens.
Like all of Latin America there is still considerable poverty in Colombia and a criminal element who attempt to make money by any means necessary. But what makes Colombia uniquely dangerous is its huge involvement in narco-trafficking, especially cocaine, and the civil war that is still being conducted between the government and the narco guerrilla groups.
This film focuses on three young people. Edison, who serves as a leader for the Bloque Metro, Jesus, a spaced out cokehead who sees no future for himself, and Cielo, a girl of only 17 who is already a mother, a widow and with a new boyfriend in jail. It struck me how sweet and good natured these kids seemed to be despite all the violence that they were surrounded by and participating in. Their personalities seemed almost the opposite of the proudly brutal, vulgar, and arrogant thugs usually associated with gang life in the United States.
One aspect that was different about these Colombian kids is that they didn't seem to view themselves so much as self-centered criminals but rather as war combatants. In this case, they were siding with the Colombian para-miltaries in an attempt to protect their neighborhood from the ELN guerillas.
To put these events in context, violent conflict between liberals and conservatives has divided Colombia throughout it's history. In the 1960's several Communist guerilla movements formed. The largest of the guerilla groups is FARC, though ELN is also a significant player. But nowadays these guerillas groups are fueled less by ideology than the billions of dollars available through narco-trafficking. The right wing para-miltaries are also involved in the drug business and, with so much money at stake, violence between these rival groups is constant. So poor kids from the barrios of Medellin and elsewhere are used as pawns and foot soldiers.
This film doesn't explain much about the political context. But it does provide a very real and human face to demonstrate the suffering caused by this drug money fueled conflict. The movie is full of action and close up scenes that transport the viewer, almost like being a resident of the neighborhood just hanging out with these kids. The beautiful country of Colombia and it's kind, hard working people deserve better. Unfortunately, I see no end in sight as long as the drug busines is driven underground by this idiotic "War On Drugs". |  | Reviewed on 2007-07-12
Great, authentic experience
This great and atmospheric work shows real life issues (war, drugs, family, "no future") in the mountains around Medellin. | | Reviewed on 2007-07-03 
The Expendables
Unlike many documentaries, La Sierra moves. Full of action and intensity.
As I edit my first documentary, I decided to view a wide range of documentaries to see what makes them entertaining as well as informative. So far, La Sierra ranks high for being both.
It opens with the wails of young woman, barely a woman, as she discovers her young husband lying in the grass, shot dead. Her friends drag her away, anguished, weeping, calling out to him, "mi amor."
La Sierra takes place in Medellin, Columbia, in what we are told is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of the city. To make this documentary, the filmmakers, journalists Scott Dalton and Margarita Martinez, negotiated with a feared gang for permission to film them. The documentary follows the gang through their world of drugs, turf wars and private, even tender, moments.
Edison, the gang leader, is the old man at 22. He, his gang members and their girls live to the hilt, enjoying the danger and drugs, laughing, loving, and making babies.
When the documentary begins, they are serving as informal paramilitary for the Colombian government during attacks on Medellin by the ELN, one of Colombia's two long standing revolutionary forces.
These gang warriors are so very young, so very poor, with no future, and little reason to think much about the consequences of their actions. And yet, individually, they each express a premature angst. A philosophical acceptance of their fate - that their lives will be short, and their dreams unfulfilled. All they have is Now, their friends, and their poignant desire that the lives of the babies they leave behind will be better.
The makers of La Sierra immersed themselves in this world to capture the drama and pathos, even participating in dangerous situations. One night, during a spontaneous gun fight, Edison shouts to the film maker, "Get down gringo. You'll get shot", but the camera races on.
I looked for little ways in which this documentary might be improved, but I'd have to watch it again to find much that distracts from the overall impact. The editing is a little rough. And the rhythm of the whole piece is off somewhat. But the solos - the interviews - are strong and moving.
My main criticism is that viewers not familiar with the political situation in Colombia at that time won't understand how the Colombian government used these impoverished young as expendables - enlisting them to serve against a real army that had been fighting the Colombian government for decades. Then, once a truce with the ELN was reached, their service meant nothing. Their government hunted them down as mere criminals.
Without understanding this in context, the full tragedy of their lives is missed.
| |
Similar ProductsTOPO GIGIO 3 (SPANISH) - TOPO GIGIO 3 (SPANISH)
 $6.72 Vea a Topo Gigio cantar, bailar, dar consejos y sobre todo dar el besito de las buenas noches. Diversión para chicos y grandes. Topo Gigio es amor, es música, es diversión y aventuras. Topo Gigio uno... | IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (DVD)
 $31.16 Hong Kong, 1962: Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen move into neighboring apartments on the same day. Their encounters are polite and formal-until a discovery about their respective spouses sparks an intimat... | SOLO MIA / (WS SUB DOL) - SOLO MIA / (WS SUB DOL)
 $14.75 For Angela (Paz Vega) and Joaquin (Sergi Lopez), it was love at first sight, and then destiny followed. For a few months, their marriage was perfect and when she became pregnant, they both felt bless... |
|
