Presumed Guilty

Co-directed by Geoffrey Smith – who gave us 2007's extraordinary documentary 'The English Surgeon' – this corruscating, emotionally charged and truly gripping film exposes Mexico's rotten judicial system via a fairly recent case involving a young street seller-cum-promising rap artist and breakdancer who was wrongfully imprisoned on charges of first degree murder. Mexico's 'presumed guilty' judiciary system dictates that defendents must prove their innocence. But when the police falsify the facts and the jury-less courts turn a blind eye, most defendents end up on a losing wicket. The directors were offered unprecedented access to the courts and the results are sobering to say the least. One can only hope that someone influential sees this film because the current judicial system is clearly in a shocking state of affairs.