User Reviews

A haunting and brave recollection of events from the midst of the El Salvador civil war. It is a tale both personal and political, a tale of many victims, from one survivor's perspective, something to think about when we set up borders and walls. Great performances and good choice of music makes it even more worth watching. With this well-made film about life in a place torn by conflicts, about cruelty and justice, director Baltazar Lopez makes a strong debut, and hopefully, he will continue on his path!

The Path of the Shadows is a harrowing account of a professor who was abducted off of the streets of El Salvador and accused of being a guerilla commander, all on account of his association with a childhood crush. It is a true story, and Carlos Mauricio, the man who this actually happened to, recalls the events in interview, as a dramatization makes up most of the film. The film addresses all of the factors at play; including political corruption, human rights, and the dubious information extracted by means of torture. But more than anything else, it's a story of personal horror, a man who finds himself in the midst of a modern day witch hunt, one in which the primary goal of his captors is to obtain a confession by any means to show results, with little or no regard for the truth contained therein. This makes it an especially upsetting, but important piece of work and historical document of the political upheaval in the region during the 1980s. When returning to El Salvador after studying for four years in Mexico, Professor Mauricio is warned by is his friend and colleague to give a wide berth to his childhood friend Maria, who has become involved with rebel guerillas. Unfortunately, the professor does not heed this warning, and upon his first encounter with her, is quick to try and rekindle their budding relationship of years past. There is a close call in which the two are nearly caught by armed forces together, one in which they both just barely escape with their lives. The gravity of this has not yet fully come into focus for the professor, though, and he continues to go about his daily life with his students at the university in spite of the danger, not knowing that he has already been identified by the government forces. It begins with lower level intimidation in his class room and searching his car before it escalates to kidnapping at gun point. This is where the story zeroes in on its' human focus. One can imagine how the film may have proved to be a story of love or friendship, or any number of other things other than the sudden captivity and violence that upsets the narrative. This is a particularly effective dramatic choice, but also underlines the shock, confusion, and despair that this would mean for anyone thrown into this situation. The professor finds himself profoundly alone; removed from friends and loved ones, and voiceless, at the mercy of thugs who only want to prop him up as a win to validate and justify their oppressive tactics. It's sadly not an unusual story, and is certainly being repeated around the globe today under various other violent and corrupt governments. The major thing that sets this narrative apart from the vast majority of the others is that Carlos Mauricio lived through it, but through a mercy that itself was politically motivated. Having played a critical role in bringing his torturers to justice and now living with family in the United States, it's a truly remarkable experience to be able to have this document of what the professor went through. I cannot overstake the incredible contribution which filmmaker Baltazar Lopez has made with this moving and memorable work of art. This film should be required viewing for anyone who hopes to understand the extent to which power can be abused when it operates-as the title suggests, in the shadows.

Based on a sequence of true events, The Path of Shadows is an emotional, yet, intimidating film that talks about the horrors of war and its consequences. The film is a sincere memoir from an innocent man who became a victim to one of many tragedies that took place in the El Salvador civil war. The viewers get to notice how someone as honourable as a teacher suddenly gets kidnapped as a result of suspicion from the government for taking part in anti-state rebellions. At this particular point, director Baltazar Lopez does quite well in quickly introducing its viewers to the main characters, marking a distinct line between the protagonist and antagonists in the film. Supporting the director with his immense skills in Oscar Suncin who plays the character of Carlos Mauricio. Oscar's performance is a phenomenal one that simply cannot be ignored. The events of the sequence along with Oscar's realistic facial expressions holds enough intensity to bring the viewers to tears. The Path of Shadows is an eye-opener for all those who blatantly support the act of war without knowing its results. It explicitly portrays the merciless and inhumane killings, thereby uncovering the true nature of human beings in the process as well. Overall, the film, in all its brilliance, is coherent, inevitably keeping all its viewers glued to their screens from the beginning till the very end.

This docu-sensation called The Path of the Shadows is a frightening record of a teacher who was snatched off of the boulevards of El Salvador and blamed for being a guerrilla officer by Salvadorian security powers. The dramatization occurred in the midst of a shocking government crackdown in the midst of the 1980's against anyone related with associations with liberal adversaries of the harsh common military junta. Additionally, there are extra sub-stories that add massive value into this sentimental story that are just too extraordinary to even consider missing out on! The professor is alone most of the time; removed from companions and friends and family, pretty much helpless.The film tends to the majority of the elements at play; including human rights, political corruption, and the questionable data separated by methods for torment. Luckily in this film, we get the opportunity to see the profundity of Carlos Mauricio's mind boggling adventure and gain understanding on a circumstance that might happen more than we think.