The Art of Political Murder

The film overrall expands through the story of the murder of archbishop Gerardi. Growing up all I heard were theories about who dunnit or the context behind his murder. I believe this feature put those hypothesis to bed specifically from everybody involved in the investigation, people close to Gerardi, journalists, etc.

It's a reminder of how the army is ingrained in the Guatemalan government, politics and how it manipulates to this day the guatemalan society.

Greetings again from the darkness. Very few documentaries can also be labeled political crime thrillers, but that description fits Paul Taylor's film based on Francisco Goldman's 2014 book. It's a blend of history, religion, corruption, and investigative work as it all relates to a brutal murder. Even in these times when trust is broken on so many fronts, we as viewers are left wondering how something like this could happen.

The Guatemalan Civil War spanned 1960 through 1996, and had the right wing military facing off against leftist rebels supported by the indigenous Mayans. More than 200,000 civilians were killed, and the people's faith in their government was destroyed. But this isn't the story of the war. Bishop Juan Gerardi publicly condemned the government and military for war crimes and atrocities in his deeply researched 1996 REMHI (Recovery of Historical Memory Project) report. Two days later, 78 year old Bishop Gerardi was murdered. Savagely murdered. Bludgeoned in the head and face with a concrete slab, outside his parish home.

The bulk of the film is dedicated to what happened after the April 26, 1998 murder: a botched crime scene, numerous theories, citizen protests, and a high profile trial. It's really the stories behind the story. The Bishop was an outspoken activist for the Mayan people and he was beloved by many. However, the exploration of the police investigation left many wondering what kind of government would issue a state-sponsored hit on a religious leader of the people.

We hear from the key witness and see clips of the prosecutors. There are interviews with a journalist and activists, and we learn of some of the theories of who killed the Bishop and why. These theories included: organized crime, drug traffickers, church thieves, and it was even proposed that it was a crime of passion. Not only does the film chronicle the police investigation, but we are also privy to the more fascinating investigation into the investigation. It's an exploration of the crime and its aftermath - including governmental and military corruption, and more attempted violence. The clips from the courtroom scenes are stunning, and although those at the highest level may never answer for what happened, the dedication of Bishop Gerardi is still remembered. This HBO Documentary is premiering December 16, 2020

"The Art of Political Murder" (2020 release; 90 min.) is a documentary about the brutal murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi in Guatemala. The movie opens with archive footage from the Guatemalan Civil War between the 1960s and 1990s, where hundreds of thousands lost their lives. The Catholic Church decides to investigate who was responsible for many of the atrocities. On April 24, 1998, Bishop Gerardi presents the results of the investigation before a packed crowd. The report is damning for the Guatemalan army. We then go the "Two Days Later" as a call comes in: "They've killed him!" At this point we are 10 min. into the film.

Couple of comments: this s directed by veteran British documentarian Paul Greene. George Clooney is credited as Executive Producer. This is based on the 2007 book of the same name by Francisco Goldman, who appears as one of the talking heads in the film. The film examines closely what exactly led to the murder of Gerardi, and what the political circumstances were in Guatemala in the late 90s-early 00s, not long after the end of the civil war. As can be expected, it ain't a pretty picture. The film gives a good sense to what extent the Guatemalan government would go to control and intimidate its own population ruthlessly, and by all means necessary. The film makers unearth a bunch of rarely seen footage and pictures. Beware: some of that footage and those pictures are just gruesome (I looked away on a couple of instances). Along the way, the film becomes a true whodunnit, but within a broader political context. Many of the people who were involved directly or indirectly with these late 90s events are given ample screen time to provide their personal perspective on what all took place then. Bottom line: I found this to be a revelatory documentary about what politics in Guatemala was like at that time, and who the TRUE heroes were under the circumstances.

"The Art of Political Murder" was scheduled to premiere at last Spring's Tribeca Film Festival, and then a little thing called COVID-19 shook the world (and film festivals were a thing of the past). The film premiered on HBO a few weeks ago and is now available on HBO On Demand and other streaming services. If you have any interest in geopolitics at large, or the fallout of the Guatemalan Civil War specifically, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.