Reflection

For my documentary project I watched the film Cartel Land directed by Matthew Heineman.
1) A scene that really stuck out to me was near the end of the film when Dr. Morales had given up on his movement and was arrested. My mother knew more about the story behind this part, she said that the officials claimed they would not even feed him so he can die a slow death. My mother said the government is corrupt over there and they are even for the cartels as they help them in many ways. This angers me so much because this means that nobody is going to be able to stop this except for the people of the towns themselves. But people are scared, and those that do stand up are taken away -- by the cartels, by the police, by the government.

2) Something that surprised me is really just the whole idea of the film and how it was even possible to get so up close to all the action and especially the drug makers. The filmmakers were determined to get the best shoots to show the world what is going on and how corrupt things are. I was also very shocked when the police showed up saying that the auto defenses were scaring the people and they would be disarmed. The people began to show up and yell at the police to show them that they are proud supporters of the auto defenses and they want them to stay. The people were able to get the police to go away.

3) After viewing this film I felt sad and angry. I do not understand how the government can betray their people. Why and how did it happen where the cartels began to be in charge. I do not have any experience with this type of situation but my uncle and his family have been in danger. My uncle has his own fruit shop in Mexico and his business has grown so much over the years but that means he is becoming wealthier so now he is a target. My uncle has received many threats and for about a year he had to take his family into hiding to protect them from danger.

Some problematic concepts I saw in the film was how the people said that the police do nothing to help them and how there are all these different branches of police but they all do nothing when it comes to cartels. Another is people, innocent people are being killed and kidnapped because they are related to the person the cartels are targeting. I felt a bit disturbed when I saw that the vigilantes by the border are hunting down the cartels but when they run into coyotes they turn them in. I know it is wrong to cross the border but I just had an odd feeling seeing this. I did not like that the drug makers said that if they did not have to do what they do they would have clean jobs but it is not possible and there will always be drug trafficking. This is just another part of the film that I do not agree with and I believe that they do not have to do these things, as if maybe they took the easy way out.