Empire of the Son

The violent life of infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar left an indelible mark on the Colombian people. The same, thankfully, cannot be said of his son, Sebastián Marroquin (formerly Juan Pablo Escobar), who fled the country at age 17 following Escobar’s death in 1993, and who now leads a quiet life in Argentina. Sins of My Father, a new HBO documentary directed by Nicolas Entel and premiering October 4, may change the young Escobar’s private existence into an emphatically public one. Entel artfully blends the narratives of the father—a heretofore unseen Escobar of bedtime stories and nursery rhymes—and the son, who aims to rid himself of his family’s bloody burden by reconciling with the sons of two of Escobar’s most prominent victims. The results are understated and riveting. More info at sinsofmyfather.tv