(UK/Spain, 88 min.)
Dir. Justin Webster
Programme: World
Showcase (International Premiere)
“Sadly, ladies and gentlemen, if you are watching this
video, it’s because I’ve been murdered by President Álavaro Colom,” says a man
in a chilling video clip that opens I
Will Be Murdered. The man, who was indeed murdered, is Rodrigo Rosenberg, a
Guatemalan lawyer whose testimony shook his nation when it appeared on YouTube.
Robert’s death sparked a political crisis—how many Presidents are pre-emptively
accused of capital murder by a victim?—but the ensuing investigation into his
death reveals an even stranger story. I
Will Be Murdered is billed as a documentary, but it’s actually a thriller.
It’s a gripping whodunit full of unexpected twists and turns.
I Will Be Murdered
lets Rosenberg’s friends and family do much of the talking as they relay his
odd behaviour before the murder. Two clients of his were assassinated shortly
before his own death, and Rosenberg’s peers describe him as taking precautions
and secretive measures as he looked over his shoulder and investigated their
deaths on his own. The testimonies of Rosenberg’s peers are offset by a
well-detailed explanation by Carlos Castresana, the Spanish prosecutor who was
appointed head of the investigation into Rosenberg’s death. The case is especially
relevant for Castresana, since he was appointed head of the International
Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CIGIC), an organization pioneered by
the United Nations to combat corruption in Guatemala’s political system.
Castresana elaborates on the peculiarities of the case, which had to be dealt
with sensitively and carefully given the consequences that a verdict would
deliver. The case of Rosenberg’s death is especially peculiar and the presence
of his online ghost is just the beginning of the strange and sensational maze
on which the prosecutor finds himself.
To say anything further would be to rob I Will Be Murdered of its suspense. Webster delivers an incendiary
look at a corrupt system, and a film that’s a labyrinth of murder, romance,
suspense, and intrigue to boot. The final reveal of I Will Be Murdered is deeply unsettling and unsuspected, and it’s
hard to know how to accept the explanation that Castresana provides. One would
hardly believe it in a fictional film. Shock and revulsion could be two easy
side effects, but Rosenberg’s friends (and perhaps Rosenberg’s ghost itself)
use the last twist to create a portrait of a political martyr. If a system is
so corrupt to provoke such radical action, I
Will Be Murdered is a tragedy above anything else.
Rating: ★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
Rating: ★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
I Will Be Murdered
screens:
Wednesday, May 1 – 3:30 pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Saturday, May 4 – 8:00 pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox 4
Sunday, May 5 – 9:00 pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Please visit www.hotdocs.ca
for more info on films, tickets, and show times.
