X
- 2017
- Not Rated
- The Orchard
- 1 h 22 m
- 2017
- Not Rated
- The Orchard
- 1 h 22 m
Summary They Call Us Monsters takes viewers behind the walls of the Compound, the facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. To their advocates, they’re kids. To the system, they’re adults. To their victims, they’re monsters.
Directed By: Ben Lear
- 2017
- Not Rated
- The Orchard
- 1 h 22 m
- 2017
- Not Rated
- The Orchard
- 1 h 22 m
They Call Us Monsters
65
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Where to Watch
Summary They Call Us Monsters takes viewers behind the walls of the Compound, the facility where Los Angeles houses its most violent juvenile criminals. To their advocates, they’re kids. To the system, they’re adults. To their victims, they’re monsters.
Directed By: Ben Lear
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
65
56% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
44% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
65
56% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
44% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
There is no simple answer to the questions this film poses, but it makes us think about the complexities of an issue that has been muddied by tough-on-crime politicians.
Yes, this film is important for its insistence that we see these boys as capable of rehabilitation in the right environment. But it’s the movie’s daring structure and humanity that make it worthy of the Lear name.
They Call Us Monsters is restrained, sensitive and quietly heartbreaking.
They Call Us Monsters doesn’t 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...proceeds almost mechanically.
Even if you agree with the film’s argument that teenagers shouldn’t be locked up for life when there are other ways to save them, “Monsters” doesn’t offer a convincing argument that a screenwriting class is that lifeline.
There’s little doubt prison reform needs to address the severe effects of locking up kids for life, but They Call Us Monsters feels like a well-meaning skim rather than an impassioned, expertly reasoned plea for mercy.
They Call Us Monsters, alas, is so taken with its access to kids facing such legal circumstances that it forgets to form a compelling argument about them.
User Reviews
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
BMP Films,
New Artists Alliance
Release Date Jan 20, 2017
Duration 1 h 22 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
