Pecados de mi padre

"Juan Pablo Escobar has agreed to tell the story of his life with his father, Pablo Escobar, once described as the 'World's Greatest Outlaw'. It is also the story of the sons of Pablo Escobar's most prominent victims. It is the story of a country torn apart by violence and revenge, of death and reconciliation, and of a son's attempt to atone for the sins of the father." Ultimately it is up to the viewer to decide whether or not the actions of Sebastian Marroquin could ever have the impact that he so clearly desires. But as a snapshot of the human side of drug trafficking and the misery heaped upon the families of the victims, from all sides of the equation, My Father, Pablo Escobar is a brilliant and hard-hitting documentary. SM

This has to be one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, I believe have ever been made. I stumbled onto it by accident on Netflix and I am so glad that took the time to watch it. The myth of Pablo Escobar is examined and the damning repercussions that he had on his family, and the family of the victims of his violence is made bare before us. The idea to document this all is absolutely amazing, and serves as a stark reminder of how power corrupts and how sometimes you have to stand up for something whatever the cost may be. We have all seen Scarface and marveled at Tony Montana excessive life, but this is the real deal and you get to see the highs and the lows.

Make sure you catch the animation at the start of the documentary which is meant to show you the journey of cocaine from the plant to our streets. Its very well done set against the backdrop of a lush jungle and gunshots.

Two thumbs up for this documentary. And another one for the sons who got together to try and "break bread" and move forward with no hard feelings.

The main reason why I think people should watch this documentary is because it shows, in less than 90 minutes and based on the true story of a country, where corruption, the pursuit of power and drug trading can take you to.

Just like many drug dealers don't think about how they will end up ruining their lives by entering the business, Pablo Escobar, one of the most successful of them all, most likely never thought it would ruin his life and affect his family's even decades after his death. Fortunately their stories remain there as a warning that we shouldn't ignore and that "Sins of my father" reminds the audience.

This documentary is everything from the personal struggle of Escobar's son to deal with his father's life, to the fight of a country trying to become a better place but finding powerful obstacles inside and outside of its borders. It is about the human nature of doing good and about the human nature (which can be awaken early during the childhood) to do bad and destroy.

Finally it is a story about regret, forgiveness and the direction in which we all should go: "pa' adelante".

I am not going to talk so much about the historical part of this documentary, which indeed is great and one of the best I've seen. I have no objections about it at all. However I don't buy this "we're all victims" idea that the filmmakers and Marroquin are trying to portray. It's so sad that after seeing footage of the wonderful and brave leaders Rodrigo Lara Bonilla and Luis Carlos Galan you later get to see their sons sell out and in the most naive way accept Pablo Escobar junior's apology in front of the cameras, which is nothing more than a publicity stunt. Sadly Colombias now historical heroes' clear-sighted and firm stand against corruption and criminality weren't passed on to their sons. I felt sad seeing these nice, well intentioned guys being so manipulated by the opportunistic son of Escobar, or Sebastian Marroquin as he calls himself today. There is no way neither Cano nor Galan would sell out this way had they been alive today. Marroquin also tried to reach out to other victims, such as the Cano family who wisely questioned his real intentions and backed out of it. Marroquin is a guy that several times has tried to trademark Pablos name in Colombia and abroad sells t-shirts with his fathers picture on them under the ridiculous pretext that it's to raise awareness and that history should never repeat itself. That's rich. I guess with that same logic you should sell t-shirts of Hitler and swastikas to support anti-racism. Make no mistake about it. Marroquins biggest hero is his father and that is not something that you can combine with remorse and regret. His apology is as fake as Pablo Esobars speeches about peace in Colombia. Both Cano and Galan would've known that but apparently not their sons. If you're gonna see it, see it for the old footage and the interviews, not for the apology.

According to the now released from prison, John Jairo Velasquez, who was a hit-man for Escobar, Marroquin was trained as a kid to become a criminal and did in fact participate in placing bombs and torturing of victims. Apart from still sitting on a huge amount of his fathers dirty money. This movie he mainly did because he wanted to return to Colombia to sell some properties and arts that his father left him.

Believe what you want. But this guy is not as innocent as he wants to appear.

So I watched the documentary from 2009 Sins of my father, well was it good, I say Si. This documentary was about the worlds most ruthless drug lord, "el jefe" the now deceased Pablo Escobar. However, that is just part of the tale that is told. The main story is actually about his son Sebastian, and his journey to find peace in his own life. He has not followed in his father's foot steps, and in fact wants nothing to do with the world his father lived in, but shows that he loved his father very much and bears the guilt for his fathers atrocities. A big part of the story is about Sebastian seeking forgiveness, from the sons of two of the men his father had assassinated. The story of Pablo Escobar is fascinating, his son's story is fascinating, the story of the sons of the men Pablo killed is fascinating. This movie was simply incredible. There are several times throughout the movie you see Pablo as a dedicated father and family man. You even hear him sing opera at one point, very well I might add. I have long waited for a movie about the life of Pablo Escobar, this real life tale is better than anything Hollywood could ever imagine and far more moving than a gangster flick could ever be. if you like concise reviews of interesting films please read my other reviews at http://raouldukeatthemovies.blogspot.com/