Burden of Peace

Dutch filmmakers Joey Boink and Sander Wirken's documentary examines the efforts of Guatemalan Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz to bring justice to her country during her 2010-14 term. Some of the problems she faced were cultural—Guatemalan prosecutors were traditionally unenthusiastic about challenging narco-crime gangs, notorious human rights abuses, and even domestic violence cases—while others were the result of plain error, most notably the proliferation of misspellings in the national crime database. Facing hostile opposition from right-wing elements in the government and from media factions that attempted to portray her as a Marxist, Paz y Paz nevertheless began to make significant progress in the cause of establishing justice. Her greatest accomplishment was bringing former military dictator Efrain Rios Montt to trial for genocide against the indigenous population during the Guatemalan civil war. Despite blatant contempt for the court from the defendant and his attorneys, Montt was convicted and sentenced to 80 years in prison, although a higher court voided the conviction on a technicality and then forced Paz y Paz from her job before her term expired. Paz y Paz's life story is kept somewhat sketchy—her husband is not mentioned until late in the film—but this documentary effectively shines a spotlight on the social and political upheaval in a long overlooked corner of Central America. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)