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[solemn music]
THEY ARE NOT DEAD. THEY ARE HERE WITH US,
WITH ALL OF YOU... WITH ALL HUMANKIND.
♪ ♪
[birds chirping]
♪ ♪
[whistles]
♪ ♪
AURELIO: It was in the early days of January
when we first went to La Joya.
♪ ♪
AURELIO: Inside, we found plates on the table
and a pot of coffee on the ashes of the stove.
♪ ♪
Everything had been left behind in a hurry.
[whistling in distance]
♪ ♪
[mellow music]
AURELIO: Resting against the barbed wire fence
in the backyard,
we found the family that lived in the house.
♪ ♪
Their bodies were mummified by the sun.
♪ ♪
Intact.
Because they had also killed all the animals in the area,
the bodies were not disturbed,
and had dried up there,
with their clothes,
their shoes...
in the same spot in which they were shot.
♪ ♪
They were just skin and bones,
but looked alive,
like staring at you.
♪ ♪
The old man died with his mouth open.
♪ ♪
I often wonder about his last question.
♪ ♪
His last words before he died.
♪ ♪
FIREFLIES AT EL MOZOTE
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Hello, guys.
♪ ♪
From liberated territory in Morazán Province.
This is Sebastian, reminding all of you listening
you are Radio Venceremos.
Today, we begin our broadcast with important information.
In a few days, the army will be launching
a Scorched Earth operative
in the hamlets and villages north of the Torola River.
We advise the population to flee the area
and to seek shelter in the refugee camps
in Honduras to safeguard your lives.
[gunfire]
♪ ♪
[gunfire continues]
♪ ♪
AURELIO: Then, we went on to El Mozote.
♪ ♪
ATC: 283 bearing Northeast at 25 degrees.
PILOT: Copy. 283 keeping bearing at 13:09:02.
[serene music]
[birds chirping, insects buzzing]
What a shot, dude!
It's huge.
It'll make a big meal.
Let's go!
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
PILOT: 292 beginning approach to landing zone.
Troops, begin deboarding.
Charly 292 lifting off.
[barking in the distance]
♪ ♪
[grunts]
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
[clamoring, wailing]
[indistinct chatter]
♪ ♪
- What's up? - I don't know.
I have a bad feeling about it.
But we have to go down anyhow.
Why? You have your sister and your mother who loves you
and takes care of you, but I only have my grandfather.
I don't trust those fucking soldiers.
I'm staying here until they leave.
Have it your way.
[panting]
Mom, what's going on? Why is everybody here?
Hey, little shit!
Didn't you hear to be quiet?
What are you doing here?
You should have stayed in the forest.
And leave you two here to fend for yourselves?
That's not what real men do.
Take him.
[man groans, thuds]
[birds chirping]
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
Listen up. All of you are going to be held inside the church
until your ID papers can be verified.
Move it.
- What's that, José? - Nothing!
He killed another animal again, Mommy.
- Shut up, you snitch! - Be quiet, the two of you!
[indistinct chatter]
[clattering]
♪ ♪
You.
You, too.
You.
- And you. - Let's go.
Please, don't take me!
I'm the only one they have left in this world!
Nothing's going to happen to you.
Go there!
Hey!
- Little fuck! - [whimpers]
Please, forgive him! He's just a boy!
He doesn't know what he's doing!
Give it to him, José! Don't be foolish!
I'll be damned!
[laughs]
This has been in my family forever, José.
I'm giving it to you because now you are
the head of the family.
Whatever happens, take good care of your little sister!
JOSÉ'S SISTER: Mom!
Mom!
Climb up!
Come! Let's go!
[dramatic music]
- [grunting] - [sobbing]
[grunting]
Grab her legs!
[gun clicks]
♪ ♪
Fucking whore!
- [gunshot] - What was that, José?
♪ ♪
BOY 1: Hurry up!
BOY 2: Wait for me!
♪ ♪
Shh!
♪ ♪
I'm scared!
Don't be afraid.
This cross is going to protect us until we find our mother.
Take it!
Let's go!
♪ ♪
Aha, little shit!
Where do you think you are going?
- To find my mother. - Ah, really?
And you are making all this fuss just for that?
You should have told me.
I'll take you to her.
Come, my love. Come.
♪ ♪
[screaming, sobbing]
[gunshots]
[gunshots continue]
What was that?
Shut up and don't ask questions
if you want to see your mother.
But I saw they were taken over there.
Shut up and don't ask, didn't you hear me?
Are you deaf?
♪ ♪
You, you and you! Bring me that little fucker!
♪ ♪
Everybody, line up!
Aim!
[guns cock]
[ominous music]
[screaming]
Fire!
[gunfire continues]
♪ ♪
[gunfire]
Holy shit! You really fucked him over!
But if you hadn't killed him,
he could have walked back on his own.
Now, he's going to have to be carried.
I'm not carrying him, assholes.
[scoffs] Neither am I.
You shot him, you have to carry him back.
♪ ♪
[groaning]
♪ ♪
Hey, hey, hey! You can't go there!
[grunting]
There.
♪ ♪
If you calm down, I'll let you go.
♪ ♪
Do you know her?
[sobs]
Is she... your mother?
Oh, my child!
Come. Come with me...
Okay, okay... shhh...!
Don't cry, my boy...
She's gone but...
she's always going to be with you,
in your heart and your thoughts. Hmm?
You saw the sons of bitches who did this!
You know who they are!
Hate them! Hate them with all your strength!
- What are you doing?! - And in that hate
you will find the strength to become a great fighter...
worth ten of those sons of bitches!
And then you will avenge your mother!
[melancholic music]
Don't you realize you're hurting him, pendejo?!
Enough! I said that's enough!
Fucking bitch!
Okay, what's the problem?
What's the problem?
Rafael is the problem!
She's his mother, Aurelio.
Alma, this is war.
That boy is going to have to get used to the violence.
No, not if I can help it.
There you go, always owning other people's problems.
Do you know how exasperating it is to live with you?
What? You and I don't live together anymore
and that shitty attitude of yours is the reason for that.
No, you are mistaken.
You and I are no longer together
because of your stubbornness, not for any other reason.
But that's water under the bridge.
You know that my position doesn't allow me the luxury
of taking platitudes.
No, they are not platitudes, Aurelio.
I'm not going to allow anybody to hurt that boy!
Since when?
We just found him and you are already making him yours?
And what makes you think that the rest of us
are going to allow him to be harmed?
This is not your own private war, Alma.
And that boy isn't Diego.
[melancholy music]
♪ ♪
Eh, eh, where are you going?
- Stay put. - No, no, no, no!
What's the matter? What do you want? What?
We don't have time for this!
They are at the creek, right now.
It's the Atlacatl battalion.
How much time do we have?
Half-an-hour at the most.
- You know what to do. - All right.
Alma! If he doesn't keep quiet, we are leaving him. Let's go!
Come, come.
There are so many bodies that it would take us days
to give them a proper burial.
We have only a few minutes before the soldiers show up.
If we leave them like that, we run the risk of an epidemic.
[birds chirping]
Close the doors and let's go.
Seriously?
♪ ♪
Hey! Hey!
Walter! Rafael!
With them. Go! Go!
[dramatic music]
Eduardo, with me. The rest, carry on. Go!
♪ ♪
Hey.
- [gunfire] - [screams]
Lay down!
[groans]
[whimpers]
Victor, on the right flank!
Nelson, the right flank! Let's go!
[moans]
♪ ♪
[moans]
Don't ever disobey my orders again.
You know very well that they would have killed him.
[winces]
There's nothing I can do for him.
[groaning]
You are lucky. It went through muscular tissue only.
Keep pressure on the wound...
Hey, boy!
[gunshot]
You son of a bitch!
What do you want to do about Walter?
He stays.
Let's go!
♪ ♪
Son of a bitch!
♪ ♪
Let's go.
♪ ♪
You know what to do.
♪ ♪
It's a group of approximately fifteen, Colonel.
And they are carrying one wounded.
We found this. It belongs to one of our radios.
It was completely destroyed.
But they took it, anyway.
Okay.
They belong to Radio Venceremos.
They are going to make a big scandal out of the massacre.
And who is going to believe them?
It's going to be the word against ours.
They are not stupid.
They know they can gain a political victory
if word gets out.
We have to silence them.
Make sure their families get their benefits.
Send another patrol to follow their trail.
♪ ♪
Where is Walter?
They'll follow the larger group.
Take the column, head north,
and don't stop until they get tired of chasing you.
Understood? I'll take Alma, Eduardo,
and two men toward out Guacamaya camp.
What about the boy?
The boy comes in my group. It's going to rain.
They will quit soon enough.
Don't start any trouble unless you can't avoid it.
- Let's go. - Okay!
- Let's go! - Okay!
[thunder rolling]
[rain spattering]
Son of a bitch!
If I were a soldier, you'd be dead now.
When did you arrive?
Right now.
What about El Mozote?
They killed the entire population.
You are talking about hundreds of people.
There were so many corpses we couldn't bury all of them.
The worst part was... the bodies of the children.
I'd never seen anything like that.
This is a message.
Montenegro is letting us know how far he's willing to go
if we keep broadcasting.
Well, he's fucked because we are going
to keep broadcasting, even if he cuts our balls off.
But it's not just that. There's something else.
What, then?
Montenegro knows that our survival hinges
on the help we get from the rural population.
With this massacre he's demonstrating
that we can't protect them.
From now on, people will be afraid of helping us.
[sighs] What are we going to do?
We must reveal to the rest of the world
what these assassins have done.
Let's do it! Today! In our six o'clock broadcast.
- No. Not yet. - But, why?
We can't give them the opportunity to twist
or manipulate what happened with lies or falsehood.
We are going to denounce them in the international press.
Is Maria still in touch with Randall?
I think so.
He's been asking for a permit to visit us for a long time.
Well, he just got lucky.
What are you thinking about?
In The New York Times.
We're going to let Randall break the story.
The only thing that worries me...
is we are going to have
to wait for them here in the camp.
[sighs] That's fucked up.
Montenegro hasn't found us
'cause we are always moving.
Why take the risk?
To stop the flow of millions of dollars
in military aid to these butchers.
[birds chirping]
[grunts]
Hello. What's your name?
[winces softly]
Mine is Alma.
I don't know if you want company,
or if you are interested in what I'm going to tell you...
but I want you to know... that here, in this camp,
we've all lost loved ones in this war.
I, myself, lost my entire family.
We used to live in the capital...
and back then, there were protests every day.
My brother was coming back home on a bus...
when they got stuck in traffic in the middle of a protest.
He was... very intelligent...
and extremely curious... and he couldn't resist
the temptation to peek out of the bus' windows...
right when the troops open fire on the protesters.
So... a stray bullet found him...
And, well, that was the end for him.
His name was Diego.
You remind me of him a lot.
My mother never got over it. She went crazy,
started talking publicly against the government...
One day, the death squads
kidnapped her and disappeared her.
She had long, black hair... very pretty.
We received her scalp wrapped in a newspaper.
We never found the body.
So, my father and I joined the struggle after that.
He died a couple of years ago...
fighting in those hills over there.
So, I'm the only one left.
You know...
When I miss them,
I like to think about something
my mother used to say.
She used to say...
that the only things in life
worth living for,
are the things... also worth dying for.
And that thought...
comforts me when...
[exhales]
[whimpers]
No, no, no, it's okay...
Don't cry...
It's not your fault...
- No! - Don't cry... Don't cry...
[groans]
Don't worry.
The security guys will bring him back later.
It's not the first time he runs away.
But where does he go? There's nothing around here.
Back to El Mozote.
There's definitely something tearing him inside.
Every time he pretends to escape,
he lets us find him before he exits the campground.
It's like he has an internal struggle
that doesn't let him rest.
And there is something even more worrying.
- What? - He has lost his speech.
- Is he mute? - No, no.
Because we've heard him speak in nightmares.
He's suffering from a syndrome called Selective Mutism.
It's like his subconscious is constantly disconnecting
his ability to speak.
Is it permanent?
No, Alma. He needs a specialist.
Where are we going to find a specialist around here?
We could send him to the capital.
That would be like signing his death sentence.
Alma, he's not going to get better here.
But here, at least, he's going to stay alive.
[dramatic music]
SOMEWHERE ON THE SALVARORAN/HONDURAN BORDER
♪ ♪
There's a few more.
[in English] It's horrific.
When will you take us to the village?
[in Spanish] I don't understand why they want to go there.
The pictures provide enough evidence.
[in English] Unfortunately not.
We need to go to the site of the massacre, see it in person.
[in Spanish] It's not in our best interest.
Montenegro keeps area under surveillance...
He could set a trap for us at his will.
[in English] What's going on here, Aurelio?
I thought we had everything worked out ahead of time.
Well, our deal was to provide you with undisputable proof
that the massacre occurred,
and I think the photos do that.
I can't take this to my editor and say that my contacts
wouldn't take us to the site of the massacre,
just showed us a few photographs, told us a story.
Doesn't work that way.
Have we ever lied to you
or given you bullshit stories?
It has nothing to do with that, Aurelio.
This is basic journalism.
How would you like it, for example,
if Montenegro came to us,
showed us a photograph and said
that you killed everyone in the village
and then we release that story without double-checking?
How'd that make you feel?
I'm not sure you understand how big this story is,
Aurelio, because it's huge.
I need complete access to all information,
that's including testimonies from all the witnesses,
- and all survivors. - There's no survivors.
The soldiers killed everybody.
[in Spanish] Why the fuck don't you want to tell them
that we found the boy?
Shut up, asshole!
[exhales, in English] We just travelled thousands of miles,
risked our lives crossing borders illegally
to get here to tell your story because we believe in it,
and we believe it's an important story to be told,
so don't you think we deserve a little more
than your mistrust and your secrecy?
[sighs] Okay. [clears throat]
We found a survivor. He's a boy.
[dramatic music]
Well, I need to talk to him.
And take his picture.
Why?
Because if he's the survivor,
he's the story.
He's a child, Aurelio.
We can't get him involved in all of this.
SARAH: How old is he?
Um, we don't know. Nine, maybe ten.
Hundreds of villagers were massacred
by government troops, trained,
equipped and financed by US military aid.
If we don't expose that to the rest of the world,
then your congressmen will continue giving
millions of dollars to those butchers
and history will repeat itself. That's the story.
If you want the greatest exposure worldwide,
that boy needs to be the center of this story.
Even if we let you talk to him,
he couldn't tell you anything.
- Why? - Because he's lost his speech.
We don't even know his name.
Well, he witnessed the massacre.
In spite of all the dangers he's exposed to
here with us, the minute he leaves
our protection, he becomes a walking target.
Okay.
Here's the deal.
We're only here for a few days, and two of those days
we're gonna burn off crossing back into Honduras
and getting back into the US.
If I'm gonna tell the story, I'm gonna tell it
the only way I know, and that's my way.
So you guys figure out what you want me to do.
[sighs] Okay, um...
[in Spanish] Randall is right.
We have to take them to El Mozote.
It's a risk we have to take.
[in English] Okay. We agree with you.
The boy can be in the report, but we have to find
a way to do it without traumatizing him again.
I know how. I take his picture.
You tell me what happened to him and I write it.
- Okay, fair enough. - What happens to the boy
when the report comes out?
[dramatic music]
We'll take you to the village today,
after our broadcast, okay?
[birds screeching]
[in Spanish] Come.
From liberated territory in Morazán Province,
this is Sebastian, reminding all of you
listening, you are Radio Venceremos.
Today, we begin our broadcast with a dilemma,
we have become witnesses to an act that defies understanding.
But, for circumstances out of our control...
we cannot make it public.
Meanwhile, we want to warn villages and hamlets
north of the Torola River...
of an Army's troop displacement...
- We alert the population again, - [whistling]
that this military operation is still in progress.
The troops continue their Scorched Earth Campaign.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Let's go.
♪ ♪
[coughs] [insects buzzing]
♪ ♪
[in English] Enough?
We have to go.
Let's go.
♪ ♪
[in Spanish] Let's go.
We got them, Naldo! Even the gringos!
Let's hit them right now!
They are not carrying radio equipment.
If we hit them now, another asshole will be broadcasting
on the radio tomorrow.
We need to get the transmitter to get that scorpion
out of our asses once for all.
[upbeat music]
[in English] You okay?
Yeah.
Just processing the day.
Yeah.
Will the Times run the story?
I don't know. I do know this is gonna
unleash a shitstorm in Congress, and it might stop
the flow of military aid to the government,
and that, in turn, might turn the tide
in favor of the rebels.
Is your position at the Times safe?
[chuckles]
I don't know that either.
I do know there's a couple of people in the State Department
trying to get me fired.
The desk is getting nervous and...
even the New York Times has to answer
to the Board of Directors and corporate-earnings,
so the truth just--
[loud explosions]
RAFAEL: [in Spanish] Let's go! Now!
- What's going on? - It's Montenegro.
Back up only what's strictly necessary and let's go!
[explosions outside]
Careful. This is the heart of our radio station.
[explosions, gunfire outside]
I'll take the Black Road and cross the river
and regroup with you in Clemente's house
in the slopes of the volcano.
- Okay? - Okay.
[in English] Let's go.
Okay. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go!
[gunfire, explosion]
Chico and Luisa will take you to our people in the city.
And your safe-conduct is good
all the way to Honduras.
As soon as we get back to the US,
I'll file a report.
- Thank you. Good luck. - Thank you.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
[in Spanish] You guarantee their safety.
Okay. I will protect them with my life.
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
♪ ♪
There are soldiers everywhere.
But we must cross now.
♪ ♪
- [whistling] - Heads up! Heads up!
- [groans] - [gunfire]
Bring her over!
She's dead! She's dead!
Retreat! Let's go!
[gunfire continues]
♪ ♪
On the hill! They are on the hill!
Take cover!
[indistinct yelling]
Come!
Quickly! Quickly!
[panting]
♪ ♪
[groans]
[panting]
Rafael...
[groans]
The sons of bitches got me good!
[screams in pain]
[distant gunfire]
I need your help.
Put pressure here.
Firmly.
♪ ♪
[panting]
[explosion, gunfire]
We have to keep moving, Rafael.
Or they are going to kill all of us.
- Come. - [grunts]
Let's go.
[Alma mutters words, grunts]
Come.
[grunts]
Fuck, Tony! I almost killed you!
Come help me with Rafael.
Tony?
Shit! Okay...
Okay, wait for me here.
I'll be right back for you!
I'll be back!
Help me!
[grunts]
Here.
[grunts]
I'm going to get Tony. I leave you with the boy.
Please... forgive me...
Shhhh... I know... There's no need to say anything.
[hyperventilates]
I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere.
[groans] I'm thirsty.
Do you remember the first time we found you in the brush?
I never meant to hurt you with what I said.
I want you to know.
[wheezing]
♪ ♪
Sebastian!
Alma! Are you okay?
Fuck, Alma! They really fucked us over!
He's dead.
Rafael is badly wounded.
Where?
♪ ♪
Where are the fucking guerrillas?
He's dead.
Where is the boy? I told him to wait here.
Where is he?
He left. His tracks disappear in the water.
We have to go. There are lots of troops in the area.
But where is the boy? We have to find him!
Those are the motherfuckers from the Atlacatl battalion,
executing our wounded!
- But it could be the boy. - If that's the case,
there's nothing can do for him,
but we need you.
[panting, sobbing]
♪ ♪
Have you found any radio equipment?
No, but we are not done combing the area.
I want to be informed immediately if you do.
- Immediately. - We are going to continue
chasing them without resting.
♪ ♪
[animal hooting]
They are waiting for you at the house.
Keep your eyes open.
- What happened? - The boy is missing.
Where's the transmitter?
Pedro is carrying it. I put it in his backpack.
- He's not here? - No,
he was part of your group.
We got separated in the skirmish.
The last time I saw him he was running
toward the Witch's Creek.
Montenegro had set up an ambush there.
Everybody that went that way is dead.
Rosario is dead.
[groans]
She's going to have to be buried here.
- It's already happening. - Where's the boy?
I don't want to hear anything about him.
Right now, the only thing I care about
is finding our fucking transmitter
and the rest of the equipment, okay?
The soldiers are coming.
How long do we have?
One hour at best.
Montenegro is pushing us in our rear
to hit us hard in that valley.
But, if we trek toward the north...
we can reach the lava field,
cross it and escape through the tunnels
before he even realizes it.
What are we going to do with our wounded?
We'll protect them the best we can.
- Okay, are we going or what? - Let's go.
Alma!
Let's go!
- We are on the move! - Let's go, let's go, let's go.
♪ ♪
We have to find the best place to cross.
Alma, Jacobo, and Sebastian, with me.
- Clemente. - Yes?
You stay here and be ready in case we need you.
♪ ♪
[grunting]
[grunts]
- Are you alright? - Yes. It's weird...
He was laying on the ground. I stepped on him.
[whistling]
What the fuck is going on?!
I just killed another soldier
over on that side.
It's an ambush.
No. We'd be dead already.
Deserters?
They wouldn't be wearing uniforms.
The soldier you killed, was he laying down on the ground?
How do you know?
Something or someone knocked the shit out of them.
Where is his rifle?
The soldier I killed wasn't armed either.
Maybe some of our men managed to get through.
But who? All of our remaining men are with Clemente.
So, what happened to these pendejos?
I don't know. Let's go!
♪ ♪
[twig snaps]
[suspenseful music]
[gunfire]
[grunts]
I want to know immediately where those shots came from.
There!
It's the boy!
I told you to stay put!
Why didn't you follow my instructions?
Hmm?
What?
♪ ♪
It's Pedro's backpack!
With the transmitter!
It appears to be in good working condition!
- We heard shots! - What's going on?
- Where did he come from? - Questions later.
Montenegro must have heard the shots, too.
We must cross the lava field right now!
I want to know about even the most insignificant shit
they say on the radio. Where's the rest of our men?
- With Clemente. - Get them here now!
Don't you think there might be more soldiers around?
No. They would have hit us already.
But this is a travesty. We just lost all our advantage.
Now, we have to run. Let's go.
Let's go! Run.
Posts seven and nine are not responding, Colonel.
MAN OVER RADIO: Troops, do you copy? Over.
Dismantle the camp and await my orders.
The lava field! They are crazy!
I would have done the same.
That's why I placed lookouts there.
They changed all their radio frequencies.
We need more time.
It doesn't matter. We have to cross now.
♪ ♪
Move! Quickly!
♪ ♪
- What? - Shhh.
♪ ♪
Mara.
♪ ♪
Sebastian, take the transmitter right now!
Mara, go with him! Take the boy! Go!
Go!
♪ ♪
Deflection: Twelve-hundred millimeters.
What's going on?
I don't know. But something is not right.
Stay alert. Take your position.
Let's go!
♪ ♪
Fire!
Advance!
♪ ♪
Two, there! Three, over there!
Cover for us! Cover for us!
♪ ♪
[screams]
Stop! Stop!
Nobody touches him! He's mine!
Comandante Jacobo...
We finally meet face to face.
Where's the fucking transmitter?
If you tell me, I'll kill you quickly and without pain.
If you don't, it's going to be a long and painful death.
We must take him to the field hospital!
Patch me up...
and then, take care of my men.
What are you waiting for? They are going to get away!
[gunfire]
♪ ♪
Go on!
♪ ♪
I'm staying to help.
♪ ♪
[groans]
[gunfire]
[groans]
Alma!
[groans]
♪ ♪
Let's go! Let's go!
[groans]
Can you walk?
- Let's go! - [winces]
♪ ♪
[gunfire]
- Hey! Where are you going?! - Let's go!
- I'll cover your retreat! - I'm not leaving you here!
- Let's go! - Don't worry.
Don't worry. I'll follow you in a bit.
- Let's go! - You don't even have bullets.
Don't be a hindrance. Go!
♪ ♪
Hey! Where do you think you're going?
Alma! Where is Alma?
Wait!
What are you waiting for? Follow them!
Get them out!
Maldonado!
- [dramatic music] - [moans]
♪ ♪
Blow the shit out of them!
Ochoa!
♪ ♪
Fuck! Fuck!
No! Turn around! Run! It's going to explode! Run!
♪ ♪
AURELIO: Fucking stubborn boy!
[grunts]
[melancholy music]
♪ ♪
Alma!
♪ ♪
[birds chirping]
Have you read it?
I refuse to waste my time like that.
How come The New York Times
is now publishing communist propaganda for these assholes?
That's no mystery.
They've always been a bastion for "Commie" ideology.
Maybe so, but millions of gringos read it.
And once they take a look at the picture of that...
"poor peasant boy" they'll rush to call
their congressmen, crying out: "Human rights abuse"
and those congressmen have the final say
on approving our military aid, Naldo.
We are talking about $25 million.
Are we going to let these shit-eaters win the war?!
Not at all. We just destroyed their main camp...
and killed most of their leadership.
They can't recover from that.
What are you talking about?
Radio Venceremos is still on the air!
Every day! On time!
Radio Venceremos is also finished.
All is left of them is a couple of fools
hiding in the jungle with a radio transmitter.
A couple of fools hiding in the jungle with a transmitter
can be very dangerous in a war like ours, Naldo.
We have big plans for your future.
Make sure you don't shit all over them.
[dramatic music]
[door opens, closes]
[panting]
♪ ♪
[gasps]
♪ ♪
You shouldn't be up yet.
Where's Alma?
Alma is dead.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
We don't even know your name.
- José. - José.
Why do you always run away like cowards?
Why don't you stay and fight?
We are not cowards, José.
Many times we stay to fight.
But there are times when it's stupid to stay to fight,
and in those cases it's better to--
Run away?
Retreat.
In war, retreating and running away are not the same.
But when you "retreat," you leave behind
innocent people who don't know how to defend themselves.
And the soldiers take advantage of that.
But if you stayed to fight instead of running away,
you could protect them.
But if we get killed... we couldn't protect anybody.
You are not protecting anybody staying alive, either.
What's the difference?
We are not the enemy, José.
What are you, then?
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Good morning.
It's obvious we have to get rid of Montenegro.
That's always been obvious. The thing is, how?
We have to learn to think like him.
Who can tell me what he's after whenever he attacks us?
To kill the command post and to silence the radio station.
And what happens if he can't find us?
He takes trophies.
What would be the most precious trophy
he could score?
Think about it.
Which trophy would mean the end of a radio station?
Our radio transmitter.
Exactly!
If he wants our transmitter so bad,
we'll hand it to him on a silver platter.
- I don't understand. - Are you mad?
Listen to Mauricio.
We bought this marine band radio transmitter
as a backup/replacement for our main one,
but it never worked well,
so we started getting it for parts.
Because Montenegro doesn't know what brand
of transmitter we use in our broadcasts,
it occurred to me we could use it
as our Trojan Horse.
I've modified this remote control to be able
to send an electronic post to a fuse inside
a range of approximately one-hundred meters.
To get rid of Montenegro, all we need to do is...
to fill up this fake transmitter
with several sticks of dynamite,
and let Montenegro capture it,
and when he's standing next to it,
press this button and...
And you are positive it will work?
As long as you are inside the fuse's range,
the dynamite will explode. I guarantee it.
One-hundred meter is not a lot.
The range doubles with the antenna.
How are we going to make Montenegro
stand next to the transmitter?
He won't resist the temptation.
Capturing our transmitter, to him means
the end of our radio station.
And how are we going to prevent Montenegro
from suspecting it's a trap?
For that, we are going to need your journal.
My journal? What for?
Don't ask.
Write whatever bullshit you want,
but in your own handwriting.
Today, we are going to broadcast
from the jungle... ignoring the safety measures
we normally take to avoid detection.
Meaning that...
today, we are going to let them
detect our radio signal.
[mellow music]
This program is dedicated to the missing ones...
To the disappeared...
To all the victims of El Mozote.
We've been at war for so long.
And we have lost so much.
Loved ones that will never return...
Homes destroyed... Lives ruined.
We need something to remind us of our humanity.
That a better world is possible,
a world in which the price of a better future
doesn't have to be paid with innocent lives,
or stepping over the dignity of the weak
and disenfranchised...
A world in which human beings' worth...
is measured by their contributions to society,
not by their wealth.
We have a long road ahead of us.
The ideals we aspire to demand great sacrifices,
put these ideals are noble
and they are worth fighting for.
Until that day, when we attain
that better world we yearn for,
this is Sebastian, reminding all of you listening...
you are Radio Venceremos.
[gunfire]
[screams]
Leave that shit!
Get the wounded out!
[gunfire continues]
♪ ♪
We have the transmitter!
Again, we have the transmitter. Waiting for instructions.
MAN ON RADIO: Affirmative. Alfa, delta,
return to base immediately.
Copy. Copy.
♪ ♪
This spot is perfect.
MAN: Copy, Charly Carlos...
- Aurelio... MAN: Continue
to the designated coordinates.
I've got something!
- [dramatic music] - Over there.
[helicopter whirring]
♪ ♪
AURELIO: Who is it?
He hasn't identified yet.
SEBASTIAN: It must be him. His pilot is the only one
who follows the security protocols
of not revealing his identity.
What are they saying on the radios?
Nothing... It's strange.
That's Montenegro's helicopter.
Do you want to do it yourself?
Okay.
Press this button when I tell you. Understood?
Now, José! Do it!
Press the button now, José!
- I'm pressing it! - What's happening?
I don't know! It's not working!
What's happening?
It's already out of range.
It didn't work.
Motherfucking fuck!
Wait a minute!
What would happen if we had a radio operator in the town
and wanted to talk to him.
Could we get in touch with him?
Maybe...
if he's in a high point, like in the church tower.
Why?
Because the town is boxed-in low in the valley
and radio frequency travels in a straight line.
Is it difficult?
Yes.
♪ ♪
The transmitter is still in the town.
They haven't moved it.
So? Did they find the dynamite?
I don't think so because we would have
- heard something on the radios. - So, why the fuck
- didn't it blow up? - Because it was out of range.
And the helicopter didn't blow up because it wasn't
- carrying the transmitter. - Was Montenegro
in the helicopter or is he still in the town?
We don't know that, but we need to find out.
- I can go to the town. - Don't talk shit, José.
Who of you can go without getting killed?
You'd be in great danger.
It wouldn't be the first time.
On the other hand, José could take the remote control
and use it to blow up the dynamite when he sees
Montenegro standing next to the transmitter.
And then, what? How would he escape?
You have to do it when nobody is watching you.
- Okay. - Okay.
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
Uh-huh, you nosy little fuck. Get over here.
Tell me.
You are going to tell me what you saw, you hear me?
What's going on?
I caught him snooping through the window, Colonel.
What's in the box?
No... nothing.
Let him go.
Shine my boots.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
What...? You don't like my men?
They go around treating everybody like shit.
Not everybody. Only the guerrillas.
Because that is what they are.
Shit that is destroying our country
with their godless communism.
You don't understand it now
because you are young and ignorant.
But one day you will understand.
What's your name?
José.
Are you from here?
Where do you live?
In the back of the barn by the entrance to the town.
And before that?
I've lived here all my life.
You haven't been doing this a very long time, have you?
- What does your father do? - He's dead.
What about your mother?
They're both dead.
- How did they die? - They were murdered.
Who murdered them?
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
You know what happens to those who lie to me?
MAN ON RADIO: Charly, Carlos, do you copy? Over.
That's enough.
Your shoeshine sucks.
[indistinct chattering in distance]
- I don't have change. - Keep it.
I already have all I want from this place.
MAN OVER RADIO: Charly Carlos, do you copy?
MONTENEGRO: Affirmative.
Send my bird over to pick me up immediately.
- [dramatic music] - Over.
MAN OVER RADIO: Copied. Do you have the transmitter?
MONTENEGRO: Affirmative. I'm looking at it.
♪ ♪
I'm ready. I'll be waiting in the soccer field.
Over and out.
♪ ♪
What do you have here?
Look, you little fuck,
you can fool the Colonel, but you can't fool me.
Did you hear me? I asked you a question.
Answer me.
What is it?
I don't know. I found it on the street.
Ahhh, you found it on the street?
It's very cool, isn't it?
Don't play dumb with me! Stand up!
Stand up! Now!
Where did you get this?
I already told you, I found it on the street.
And why did you throw away your shoeshine box?
I didn't throw it away. I left it.
I went in the brush to take a piss,
but I was coming back to get it.
Don't lie to me!
I've seen you before. Where?
I've never seen you before.
What are you up to, little fuck?!
Huh?
It's you!
The little fuck with the iguana in El Mozote!
[grunting]
Why didn't you take it with you?
They would have found it!
Montenegro is about to leave in the helicopter!
I saw him! And he's taking the radio transmitter!
You can't go back to the town! Let's go!
♪ ♪
[helicopter whirring]
Where the fuck are they? Why is it taking so long?
♪ ♪
[helicopter whirring]
♪ ♪
It's him. It's him!
Let's go, José! Go ahead!
I'll tell you when!
Ready?
♪ ♪
And...
♪ ♪
Now! Now.
- Yes! - [all cheering]
Mauricio, listen to their radio transmission
to confirm that Montenegro was in the helicopter.
♪ ♪
AURELIO: What are they saying?
[indistinct voices over radio]
We didn't only get Montenegro!
Ramos and López were in the helicopter with him!
[all cheering]
Okay! Let's get ready to go back to our camp,
because our radio station is going on the air tonight!
[melancholy music]
♪ ♪
Do you like the place we chose for her to rest?
She would have liked it.
♪ ♪
Come with me.
Leaving without saying goodbye?
Montenegro is dead. Isn't that what you wanted?
I only wanted to live in peace with my family.
What really happened to you in El Mozote?
My mother...
asked me to take care of my little sister...
and I ran away.
It's not your fault, José. The soldiers killed her.
But I ran away... and left her behind.
If you had stayed, you would also be dead.
Why was El Mozote so important to all of you?
Why couldn't you just leave us alone?
The answer is complicated. I'm not sure
- you would understand. - Because I'm an ignorant?
Because you are too young to have to think about that.
Montenegro told me the same thing in Joateca.
You are all the same.
You wear different uniforms but shoot the same bullets.
And the rest of us have to live
with the leftovers you leave behind.
This is not a war between two guilty sides
with innocent people trapped in the middle, José.
We kill because monsters like Montenegro
don't leave us another choice.
And whether you like it or not,
I'm not going to feel guilty about celebrating his death.
I'm also glad he is dead, but only because
now more people will have a chance to live.
Alma told me once that the only things in life
worth living for, are those also worth dying for.
And if I stay with you, I'll end up miserable
and full of hate like Montenegro, or like you.
And that's not worth living for, or dying for.
♪ ♪
What are you going to do?
♪ ♪
[thunder rolling]
AURELIO: Since then El Mozote has become a holy graveyard.
Years later, when we were trekking through the area
with a guerrilla column,
something very strange happened.
Something I've never told anybody.
It was a dark night,
and when we approached the mass grave,
thousands of fireflies lit up at the same time.
But, I mean, thousands and thousands.
The entire field glowed,
as if following a mysterious order,
they all turned off at the same time.
They would all light up...
with that spectral light...
and they would turn off again.
I swear, I've never seen anything like it
in my entire life.
And I'm sure that no one in our column that night,
has been able to forget... the Fireflies at El Mozote.
♪ ♪