‘The Guardian of the Monarchs’ Netflix Review - Fading in Eternal Darkness

The people whose sole purpose in life was to protect the innocent creatures made by God had to face scrutiny at the hands of the local organized crime groups. While this is happening, the Police are sitting and withholding a thorough investigation.

The documentary The Guardian of the Monarch speaks about the issue of the Mexican government’s failure to protect its activists. Murders after murders in this country and the cycle doesn't stop. The issue has gathered a lot of public attention and thus we have this documentary on the giant OTT platform.

Homero Gomez Gonzalez, the person about whom the documentary is made, was a respectable member of society. Saving the monarch butterfly sanctuary was synonymous with living for him. His intentions aligned with saving the butterfly's habitat. There have been videos included in the documentary where his love for the same can be seen.

When a man who stands for the forest which has been a sacred place for the butterfly to rest comes under the scrutiny of the local organized crime group, he goes missing. The gangsters used to chop off the timber and sell it illegally. The barren place would then be burned and avocados were planted later on. The problem with this was that the monarch butterflies resting place was getting endangered and so were the water resources as avocados require a lot of water to grow.

One day Homero went to attend a party and never returned. This sparked rage in his community and everyone came forward to search for him. With hundreds gathered and the Police Force too looking into the matter, his body was found in the same place where he was reported to be missing.

The forensics team declared him dead due to mechanical asphyxiation as he drowned in a well. However, the body hadn't decomposed and appeared like a fresh corpse. Suspicions arose and it was then found that the local police too were involved with the gangsters. Many clues in his disappearance pointed towards the fact that it was a planned murder and local police were also involved.

While seeing the interviews of Homero’s family members, you feel sorry for them. After all, there's nothing wrong with what the man was doing but greediness isn't bound to limits. Good people getting wronged and murdered wasn't in our morals books and this documentary gives us a lesson. If any man is seen doing good, today's world pays them by taking their life. Many of you would consider it wrong but then why are so many activists being killed not only in Mexico but all over the world?

In my opinion, the documentary is brilliantly made and the order in which the details are told is excellent. Every individual who gave their testimony adds their side of the story and it's upon the audience how they'd like to interpret this incident.

Final Score – [7/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
Follow @_riyasinghhh_ on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times