No Nos Tientes

Repressive politics in Central America this century have been brutal and clandestine. No Nos Tientes (Don't Tempt Us), like its subject, represents an airing of the dirty secret: the military state's suppression of voices of student protest. The film's title is taken from the name of an underground newspaper, and implies that the intelligentsia are just one riot away from revolution. The action in the film takes place in Guatemala, where students and professors at the University of Guatemala tell of the daily risks they take helping the poor, some of them suffering detainment, torture, or death. On behalf of their countrymen, the students fight for the basics: potable water, medicine, decent schools. At the same time, they struggle towards cultural liberation. North American students would do well to see young teens whose participation in political strife is not merely fashionable. With English narration by Edward James Olmos and Spanish subtitles, a thoughtful soundtrack, and a handful of awards at national film fests, No Nos Tientes is an eye-level experience of bold young protest against the old guard, and a good choice for collections with strong world politics holdings. All profits from the video go to the Guatemala Student Initiative. Recommended. (A. Laker)