Premiere Date: July 8, 2008
Synopsis
Watch The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández online.
(Available now through October 30, 2009)
In 1997, U.S. Marines patrolling the Texas-Mexico border as part of the War on Drugs shot and killed Esequiel Hernández Jr. Mistaken for a drug runner, the 18-year-old was, in fact, a U.S. citizen tending his family's goats with a .22 rifle. He became the first American killed by U.S. military forces on native soil since the 1970 Kent State shootings. The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández, narrated by Tommy Lee Jones, explores Hernandez's tragic death and its torturous aftermath. His parents and friends, the Marines on patrol, and investigators discuss the dangers of militarizing the border and the death of one young man. A co-presentation of Latino Public Broadcasting. An official selection of the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
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Filmmaker
Nobody knew about his story, and I started wondering why it was that his story had vanished.”
— Kieran Fitzgerald, Filmmaker
View the Film
Film Update
July 8, 2008
Critical Acclaim
With an accountant's methodical attention and a true-crime maven's taste for a great story, Kieran Fitzgerald's memorable The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández documents a tragic 1997 border incident that sheds light on the uses of U.S. military on home soil.”
&mdash Robert Koehler, Variety
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Reviews & Reactions
Average Review
| based on 5 reviews
Must see this to believe
I caught this film last year and its story was so tragic and compelling. Its hard to believe the hate and fear created by politics of otherness. This mind only destroys beautiful, innocent and peaceful lives, including the lives of those who fear. I can only hope this film reaches and influences the dogmatic thinking of so many. How brave the people are who were willing to tell it. Finding peace is not easy, sometimes there is not enough justice to heal the tradgedy manufactured by fear and injustice. These are the human stories that must be told to the rest of the world. Thanks POV for supporting the filmmakers of this story.
by Cynthia Jeannette Gomez
July 18, 2009, 2:49 PM
I am very upset with one of the Marines comments.
How dare he make the suggestion that if you were not a member of the military, that you did not serve and you have no right to say anything about what happened.
Well excuse me Mr. Arrogant Marine. Wasn't the fact that you served to protect the constitution and our rights to have Freedom of speech, and now you suggest that you fought to protect a right that you now want taken away?
So, then you would have fought for nothing. Plus, just because I do not wear a military uniform, does not mean I did not protect this county from harm.
Ever hear of Cops, Firefighters, and EMt's? We make sure your family is safe when you serve. Apparently, folks that put their lives on the line in the USA do not matter to Military Intelligent people like you!
by Joe Oravec
October 4, 2009, 4:07 PM
First, I would like to express my sympathy to the family of Mr. Hernandez. This incident is truly tragic.
Second, whereas I don't believe that the four Marines were responsible for this, the individuals that were, those who put them there, will never admit their guilt. The military was used because the U.S. government failed, and still fails, to properly fund border security.
The comments made by Mr. Joe Oravec fail to consider what these individuals were trained to do. They were never trained to be cops, firefighters, or EMTs. Look at the way these individuals were dressed. Compare that to the Marines you see on TV in Baghdad. If someone in Baghdad points a gun at a Marine, they get shot. They did EXACTLY what they were trained to do. I do believe that police and firefighters put there life on the line everyday. However, trying to compare the risk a Marine in a combat zone faces to the risk of an EMT, well lets see how many EMTs have been killed since the war started.
Long story short, everyone knows what the military is and what they are trained to do. They are our defense when diplomacy fails. If someone breaks the law, call a cop. You want to fight a fire, call a fireman. If you are injured, call an EMT. You want to fight a war, call a Marine.
by Michael Tunney from Las Vegas, NV
October 11, 2009, 2:08 AM
A truly tragic event for all parties (except for maybe the attorneys). My heart aches for the family. But in the interest of accuracy, as much as the filmmaker seems to want to lay this event at the feet of the Presidents Bush, the truth is that it was the CLINTON Justice Dept and Defense Dept. that were responsible for the spin and bureaucratic incompetence and nonfeasance.
by Bill from El Paso, TX
October 25, 2009, 12:50 AM
Reaction to Esequiel Hernandez
I agree with Mr. Tunney in so far as the military is an option when dimplomacy fails and the basic idea that they are not trained to deal with our domestic border problem. However, I cannot in good conscience exonerate the four Marines of the responsibility they share in the outcome the day of the shooting (forensics), I believe the documentary does a very good job in showing both sides of the story that lead to his death.
Among the tragedies caused by this event in the form of deep remorse and drug addiction among the Marines involved, Zeke's death and the anguish of the families related to this incident, the biggest tragedy that affects us all is the lack of availability of judicial recourse for the uneducated and non-english speaking population. I wonder if this had happened to a native New Yorker well educated man of Mexican descent from the Presidio,TX-Ojinaga,Chih. area teaching his son how to herd goats or cattle... if he would have allowed to be taken advantage of as such by politicians. The shame of government should be to NOT protect it's citizens.
by Adrian Renteria from El Paso, TX
October 25, 2009, 4:28 AM