STATE OF FEAR: THE TRUTH ABOUT TERRORISM
Directed by: Pamela Yates.
Produced by: Paco de Onís.
Director of Photography: Juan Durán.
Edited by: Peter Kinoy.
Music by: Tito la Rosa & Tavo Castillo.
Released by: Skylight Pictures.
Language: English & Spanish with English subtitles.
Country of Origin: USA/Peru. 94 min. Not Rated.

There has often been a romantic perception of Latin American guerrillas - the idea of common, everyday people who are willing to die fighting corrupt governments, so abundant in the region. It is David against Goliath, good versus evil. Obviously, most of those who think this way have never been face to face with a guerrilla member or have experienced what happens next. Only those who are far away, emotionally as well as physically, can romanticize such groups. The truth is more brutal, bloody and complex than can be imagined.

The Peruvian guerrilla cult, Shining Path, inspired such feelings of sympathy throughout the country at first, and, for a long time, the world. They started small, almost unobtrusively, but by the time they were finally beaten 70,000 Peruvians had died, and a president, Alberto Fujimori, used the group as an excuse to obtain absolute control and destroy most democratic institutions in the country. Corruption, as well as military and police abuse, became an organic way of life.

This development was slow, complex, and difficult to accept by many Peruvians, who even today deny the government's - and the country's - blame in the resulting carnage. State of Fear: The Truth about Terrorism explores this process (from the origins of the Shining Path, its methods, cruelty and fanaticism) and also digs deeper to discover what happened next. After Fujimori´s regime fell, the Truth Commission was established, the first one in Latin America. Just like the Commission, this documentary reveals as many points of view as possible, from former terrorists, military members, torture victims, journalists, politicians, and human rights activists.

It is painful for a Peruvian like myself to watch some of the footage, but it is also eye-opening regarding how today the world is facing another terrorist group which is even crueler - if that is possible - than the Shining Path, and that has generated various reactions, some positive, some very negative and violent. As this informative film illustrates, terrorism is not merely what the terrorists actually do, but what they know will happen next: repression, violence, and human rights violations.

Personally, what struck me more was how - looking back - tortures, executions, and death squads were allowed to occur, and how people didn't know. Truth had to be sought actively and with perseverance, and many people could not or didn't want to. This is one of the most important things to remember about what happened, and State of Fear conveys this very well: terrorism kills not just those shot, burned, or "disappeared," but can also destroy the state. It creates panic and panic makes people accept things they wouldn't have if they had thought clearly. There are a few omissions, events that should have been looked at in more depth (such as the hostage situation in the Japanese Embassy 10 years ago). But all in all, it is an accurate portrait of a period in Peru's history that, specially today, we never should forget. Roxana M. Ramirez, lawyer and journalist, formerly a member of the Peruvian Human Rights and Public Service Ombudsman
January 11, 2006