La Sierra

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Buy This Item La Sierra by FIRST RUN FEATURES  Available from Amazon  $26.99  on 11-26-2008     La 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. Reader Reviews 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".

La Sierra Available from Amazon Price: $26.99 Updated on 11-26-2008.

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