The Freedom of Cesar Fierro, directed by Santiago Esteinou tells the disturbing story of César Fierro, a Mexican national who was wrongly convicted for the murder of an American taxi driver and then sentenced to death in Texas in 1980.  Despite the fact that there was no DNA evidence to link Fierro with the crime, he would spend over forty years in one of Texas most notorious prisons; many of those years he spent in solitary confinement.  His death sentence was eventually overturned and in 2020, César was released and deported back to Mexico during the COVID-19 lockdown. Now 63, the film charts the challenges Fierro faces in trying to rebuild his life. César makes a touching protagonist in this film as you see his introduction back into a world completely altered from the one he remembers.  And of course, for him to be released during the Covid pandemic makes his reintroduction to the world particularly startling.   From the film’s onset you find yourself, rooting for Cesar and you just hope that he will somehow manage to overcome the almost insurmountable challenges he faces.  The documentary also highlights how for those who are both poor and ethnic minorities in America, often find themselves at the mercy of a cruel justice system.

The Freedom of Fierro is a continuation of director/producer Santiago Esteinou’s earlier film, which first highlighted Fierro’s case over ten years ago in The Years of Fierro, an examination of the misconduct of those involved in Cesar’s case as well as the treatment he received during his incarceration.   The film is also a tribute to those who fought for his release.

Esteinou says of César’s case “(it) is part of a larger case brought by Mexico to the International Court of Justice, popularly known as the Avena Case. When I was studying for my master’s degree at Temple University, I wanted to make a documentary about this international litigation and its possible outcomes. The “Avena Case” includes the cases of more than 50 Mexican citizens who were denied their right to consular notification during their legal processes, despite facing the death penalty. Making a documentary with fifty-four cases was a huge endeavour, and I had to focus my film on just one case. For this reason, I chose César Fierro’s case.”He goes onto state “César’s case is a stark example of injustice, highlighting the immense difficulty of obtaining justice once you’ve fallen into the system. It took him forty years to regain his freedom, and this came at an enormous personal cost. His struggle underscores the profound flaws in the legal process and the severe impact of systemic failures on individuals’ lives.”

He concludes by saying “César is rebuilding his life at sixty-eight years old, one step at a time, after being held in solitary confinement for forty years. Just imagine how difficult that is. This is a process that will take many years. I hope he has a chance to feel truly free, enjoy life, and rebuild his life project.”

U are the Universe is a very different story, a beautiful, haunting drama about our need for connections.  Set in a not-too-distant future, a future where the world is powered by nuclear energy, and because of this now needs to find a way to transport this waste to outer space.  The central character of the film, is Andriy, an unassuming, Ukrainian space trucker who is on a four-year round-trip mission to transport the waste from Earth’s surface to Callisto, a moon of Jupiter’s.  When the earth is destroyed (no explanation is ever given why) Andriy finds himself drifting alone to oblivion, being the last person left alive.  Andriy has a robot to keep him company and he seems resigned to his fate until he receives a message from another space traveller, a French woman named Catherine. Catherine is on a damaged vessel, which is also drifting to its own destruction.  The two strike up an unlikely friendship via messages, which takes weeks to arrive.  In a very short time though, this connection becomes something far deeper and more profound.  Andriy then decides that, against the advice of his on-board computer, he must find a way to save her. It’s difficult to watch U are the Universe without thinking about the fact that it was filmed during Ukraine’s invasion by Russia, a war which is still ongoing.   Considering this, it’s a staggering achievement and in many ways also a testament to humanity at its very best, highlighting our need for a human connection, even against all the odds.  U are the Universe illustrates how we will always discover ways to find love. The 49^th Toronto International Film Festival, was as always, a triumph.  Many of the films will go on to be Oscar winners, and yet the ones which I shall remember will be those who may have little chance of being nominated since they will not be seen widely enough.  Yet they are the ones ultimately which deserve the awards since they encourage audiences to see the world in a far more complex way.