I Will Be Murdered

This documentary is amazing and has left me in thought. I will say no more , as I don't want to spoil it for any prospective viewer. I can't recommend any more more strongly.

In 2009 Guatemalan lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg was shot to death with out for a Sunday morning bike ride. Rosenberg may have been chalked up as yet another victim of Guatemalan violence and extraordinary murder rates – until his friend stood up at his funeral and announced that anyone who wanted to know what really happened to Rosenberg should watch a DVD being proferred. In his video testimonial, Rosenberg utters the chillingly phrase, "If you are watching this, sadly I have been murdered." Then he goes a step further and names his killer – Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom.

The truth is sometimes really stranger than fiction and director Justin Webster's I Will Be Murdered bears this out. Through a combination of interviews with friends, family, and investigators and closed circuit surveillance footage, Webster manages to tease out the true story of Rosenberg's death. It's a tale with many twists and turns, that manages to be both confusing and illuminating. It's hard to imagine proving that the president of any country, even one so violent and corrupt as Guatemala is guilty of hiring hit men to kill trouble makers, but – without giving to much away – I promise you it's harder still to imagine the truth behind the murder of Rodrigo Rosenberg and his beyond-the- grave testimony.

Again, I've no desire to spoil. I Will Be Murdered is a Hot Docs must see. Period.

just seen this last night at the Chicago International Film Festival.. and a day later I am still thinking about it, needless to say I am deeply moved by this piece (digression: seldom nowadays)

the movie is very eloquently done... the pacing is perfect in my view. it held me in suspense even considering that I was familiar with the story. I'm not going to say much about the progression of the story or the narrative, but I will say that I was utterly engaged throughout the entire display. I will attribute this to extremely intelligent and diligently thought out craft of the director/writer... having said this, and not taking anything away from the movie makers, the story basically wrote itself... what a truly remarkable and deep story about a highly intelligent individual facing ultimate desperation... if you want to see a portrait of life being stranger than fiction, look no more... go see this movie if you can; look into this significant story for it will possibly open the door for you and have you expand on what you think you know about right and wrong

lastly, since I wasn't able to direct any questions towards the very available director last night, I would like to raise one issue that I have with the movie: I felt that the story was personalized to such an extent that the social aspect was muted... I've seen this movie in such a way that it had me take away qualms with the critical commentary of a problem that can be applied to much much bigger issues beyond the current matters in the small country of Guatemala (which is in my view a smart and a grand approach)... but my issue is, this was never stressed in the movie...which left me siting there alone with my thoughts that ultimately Rodrigo was a man that in his death, gave with one hand and took away with the other... it can be argued that any person of any power in all of our societies is faced with the same "dilemma" sooner or later... but in this light, the complex connection between a human and a society is too often overlooked

To avoid spoiling one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, I will only tell you what it felt like to watch it: I have never been so on the edge of my seat while watching a documentary. It is a story well told, of a event I still cannot comprehend. The evidence presented is clear, the documentary style, consisting only of archive footage and interviews, without any actors for the most part, is something that stood out to me as adding to the suspense. I followed along the story, it all made sense. I felt sympathy for the characters, and hoped the persons responsible for the murder would finally be held accountable for it, so Guatemala could heal. You could see it all unravel, and yet I wasn't prepared for the revelations at the end. Definitely worth watching.

Without spoiling the surprise conclusion, this Murder still seems to be a Mystery over 10 years later. The government / UN appointed investigator seemed professional and certainly reached a conclusion the family, government of Guatemala, and people of Guatemala could accept, but some issues remain unanswered / glossed over in the film:

It seems very coincidental that the collateral / perhaps contributing Murder of Rodrigo Rosenberg's client and love interest was murdered on the same day she was said to be planning on telling her husband she was leaving him. The husband was not named or featured in the Documentary.

Another strange coincidence according to Wikipedia, is that 7 of the 11 people arrested for these crimes were involved in both Murders. This seems almost beyond belief if the official conclusion is accepted.

In the Documentary it was mentioned that Rodrigo Rosenberg's brother was violently murdered and partially decapitated as well as 2 of his nephews. It seems that Death Threats against oneself or one's family are a way of life in Guatemala and should be taken seriously. Threats against Rodrigo Rosenberg's immediate family might have greatly influenced his decision making towards the end of his life and encouraged him to play ball, for his family's safety, so to speak.

At the end of the day, this was a good Documentary and to paraphrase the last line of Chinatown (1974):

"Forget it Jake, it's Guatemala"