While overwrought and repetitive at times, this is still a very good documentary of how some boys in the Menudo singing group, including Roy Roselló, were sexually abused by their producer Edgardo Díaz and others. One of the others was Jose Menendez, who was the head of RCA records when Menudo was signed to the label.
The documentary centers on Mr. Roselló and his pursuit of justice. He wants to see Edgardo Díaz thrown in prison for his crimes against boys. He was a particular favorite of the producer, and couldn't see a way out of the situation as a teenager, since he was paying all the bills to support his mother and siblings.
Not only was Roy Roselló repeatedly raped by Díaz for years, he tells of going to the Menendez house one night, where Jose Menendez told him to drink a glass of white wine, which made him terribly woozy. He then remembers being led to an upstairs bedroom, where Menendez raped him, causing injuries that didn't heal for days.
This is how Roy Roselló's story ties in with the Menendez brothers. They were convicted of killing their parents by a jury in a second trial, because the jury in the first trial could not reach an unanimous verdict. In the first trial, ample evidence was allowed that showed the brothers were sexually abused by their father. Thus, they could then be convicted of manslaughter and not murder, if that was true.
In the second trial, such evidence was severely limited, which led to the belief the brothers were making up the sexual abuse, and a good and decent father was being slandered. There are telephone conversations in this film between journalist Robert Rand and Lyle and Erik Menendez, who are serving life sentences in prison. Their cousin and maternal aunt, who believe they should be freed, are also interviewed.
The main focus of this documentary, however, is on Roy Roselló, Menudo, Edgardo Díaz and others who knew about the sexual abuse of Menudo boys. It was quite obvious to many individuals, including journalist Bolivar Arellano, who tried to bring the matter to light back in the 1990s. He is interviewed in this film, along with others.
Will this documentary give the Menendez brothers a chance of being freed after serving over 30 years in prison? Will Edgardo Díaz ever be charged with sexual abuse? Will Roy Roselló finally find the peace and justice he has sought for so long? All that remains to be seen, and this documentary does an excellent job of bringing this mostly buried issue to the surface once and for all.
