Professor Carlos Mauricio finds himself persecuted by government death squads during the Salvadoran Civil War.Professor Carlos Mauricio finds himself persecuted by government death squads during the Salvadoran Civil War.Professor Carlos Mauricio finds himself persecuted by government death squads during the Salvadoran Civil War.
Mónica Aguilez
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The human cost of corruption
The Path of the Shadows is a harrowing account of a professor who was abducted off of the streets of El Salvador and accused of being a guerilla commander, all on account of his association with a childhood crush. It is a true story, and Carlos Mauricio, the man who this actually happened to, recalls the events in interview, as a dramatization makes up most of the film. The film addresses all of the factors at play; including political corruption, human rights, and the dubious information extracted by means of torture. But more than anything else, it's a story of personal horror, a man who finds himself in the midst of a modern day witch hunt, one in which the primary goal of his captors is to obtain a confession by any means to show results, with little or no regard for the truth contained therein. This makes it an especially upsetting, but important piece of work and historical document of the political upheaval in the region during the 1980s.
When returning to El Salvador after studying for four years in Mexico, Professor Mauricio is warned by is his friend and colleague to give a wide berth to his childhood friend Maria, who has become involved with rebel guerillas. Unfortunately, the professor does not heed this warning, and upon his first encounter with her, is quick to try and rekindle their budding relationship of years past. There is a close call in which the two are nearly caught by armed forces together, one in which they both just barely escape with their lives. The gravity of this has not yet fully come into focus for the professor, though, and he continues to go about his daily life with his students at the university in spite of the danger, not knowing that he has already been identified by the government forces. It begins with lower level intimidation in his class room and searching his car before it escalates to kidnapping at gun point.
This is where the story zeroes in on its' human focus. One can imagine how the film may have proved to be a story of love or friendship, or any number of other things other than the sudden captivity and violence that upsets the narrative. This is a particularly effective dramatic choice, but also underlines the shock, confusion, and despair that this would mean for anyone thrown into this situation. The professor finds himself profoundly alone; removed from friends and loved ones, and voiceless, at the mercy of thugs who only want to prop him up as a win to validate and justify their oppressive tactics. It's sadly not an unusual story, and is certainly being repeated around the globe today under various other violent and corrupt governments. The major thing that sets this narrative apart from the vast majority of the others is that Carlos Mauricio lived through it, but through a mercy that itself was politically motivated. Having played a critical role in bringing his torturers to justice and now living with family in the United States, it's a truly remarkable experience to be able to have this document of what the professor went through. I cannot overstake the incredible contribution which filmmaker Baltazar Lopez has made with this moving and memorable work of art. This film should be required viewing for anyone who hopes to understand the extent to which power can be abused when it operates-as the title suggests, in the shadows.
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- Mark_Rantzen-469-164475
- Jan 2, 2019
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- Washington D.C., USA(location)
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- $50,000 (estimated)
- Runtime58 minutes
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Top Gap
By what name was The Path of the Shadows (2018) officially released in Canada in English?
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