Friday, September 30, would have marked Vanessa Guillen’s 23rd birthday. Sadly, the US Army soldier who’d always dreamed of joining the military was murdered in 2020 by a fellow soldier — which also came after she’d been subjected to sexual harassment while stationed at Fort Hood in Texas. Two years later, Netflix will release a documentary that will explore the details of the tragedy that struck the country during the pandemic.
But the production from New York-based Story Syndicate doesn’t stop there. In addition to Vanessa’s story, this Netflix documentary will also spotlight her family as they fight for military reform — a fight that they took all the way to the White House.
Netflix documentary I Am Vanessa Guillen
Fittingly, Netflix has announced the release date for this documentary — which hits the streaming service on November 17 — on what would have been Vanessa’s birthday.
Today would have been U.S. Army soldier Vanessa Guillén’s 23d birthday.
“I Am Vanessa Guillén,”A new documentary, “The Story of Her Life”, will be about her tragic murder and her family’s heroic fight for historical military reform and justice. Netflix will release the documentary on November 17th. pic.twitter.com/Z76erni6aB
— Con Todo (@contodonetflix) September 30, 2022
“At the core, this is a story about overcoming the greatest odds imaginable in the name of family, love and justice,”Christy Wegener, the director, spoke about the film. “This is David vs. Goliath on steroids. Taking on the US military, one of the largest, most powerful institutions in America is no easy feat. In making the film, it was incredible to witness a family, in the most tragic moment of their lives, put their grief aside, step out into the public arena and fight for the greater good.”
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Netflix’s promotional material for the film notes that Vanessa’s story sparked an international movement of assault victims demanding justice.
There are many other websites and publishers that have already covered the details of her death. Instead of focusing on her life, viewers should be aware that Army Specialist Guillen was one of five siblings born in Houston. She had a love of the military from an early age, often playing with her brother’s toy pistol. Over the hesitation of their mother, she enlisted when she was 18.
Following Guillen’s murder, more than a dozen Fort Hood officials were either suspended or fired. Ryan McCarthy, the then-Army Secretary at the time, ordered an investigation into Fort Hood’s culture after a series deaths, sexual harassment complaints, and other incidents at the base.
Get more Netflix coverage: September 2022: The top Netflix series and original shows to watch right now