REVIEW: NO TOMORROW
Posted by Cynthia Corral
NO TOMORROW
NO TOMORROW is a thought provoking documentary that covers a lot of ground and argues a lot of different ideas. Its only weakness is that it perhaps presents a few too many ideas and does not have the correct case to prove their arguments.
AGING OUT is a documentary brought by the same filmmakers to Cinequest in 2004. It was about three teenagers who are aging out of the foster care system and the trials and tribulations they were then facing. The film focused on the resilience of each teen and chose to look positively on their future prospects.
But soon after that film was completed one of the teens, Risa Bejarano, was brutally murdered. The killer was caught, prosecuted and found guilty. This is where NO TOMORROW comes in. For the penalty phase of the trial the prosecution wanted to (and did) show the jury AGING OUT as a way of humanizing Risa and pushing the jury toward a death penalty decision. The filmmakers were not happy about having their film used to give death to an 18 year old when their original purpose was to bring something positive into the world. And so the documentary brings its arguments.
The problem I have with the film is that it brings so many arguments to the table. The value of the death penalty itself is a main topic, but we are also presented with the idea of whether Juan Chavez (the killer) would have received the death penalty if a) AGING OUT had not been shown to the jury or b) Juan Chavez had had his own documentary to show the jury.
There is a weakness in this particular argument because the crimes he committed were so senseless and violent, and Chavez himself so proud and unrepentant of his crimes, that I don’t think it mattered who he killed or what his own circumstances were. I have issues with the death penalty myself, but in this particular case it is hard to summon up any sympathy for Chavez whatsoever, so the arguments about documentaries and cost of imprisonment have no real punch. Chavez is not a sympathetic character in any way, no matter how many childhood photos the filmmakers show us. Read more
Tags: aging out, DOCUMENTARY, no tomorrow, world premiere.