"American Sons" brings a fallen San Antonio Marine's story home
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Marine Cpl. JV Villarreal on patrol in Afghanistan. Photo: Scott Olson via Getty Images
"American Sons," a documentary told through the eyes of fallen San Antonio Marine Cpl. JV Villarreal, debuts locally this weekend.
Why it matters: The film offers a rare and personal look at the realities of combat while shining light on Latino contributions often missing from war narratives.
The latest: The San Antonio premiere event is Sunday at the Carver Community Cultural Center, starting at 1:30pm.
- This version is a director's cut, featuring scenes and language that will be omitted from the Jan. 12, 2026, broadcast on PBS.
- A post-screening panel will include filmmakers and service members who appear in the film.
- A waitlist is available for free, but there are limited tickets.
Zoom in: Villarreal, who was 22 when he was killed after stepping on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2010, documented his unit's deployment from the inside. The Kennedy High School graduate captured camaraderie, exhaustion and growing unease.
- His footage survived only because he transferred it to fellow Marines' hard drives before his death.
What they're saying: "You can see a change in him from when they first get there — they're gung-ho and happy. By the end, he's a very changed person," producer Laura Varela tells Axios.
- "We consider him the real filmmaker," director Andrew James Gonzales adds. "We're just picking up where he left off."
- Both filmmakers are locally based.
What they did: Villarreal's sister, April Rodriguez, set the project in motion after receiving his deployment footage and reaching out to Varela to help tell his story with care and authenticity.
- The movie premiered at South by Southwest this year and was shown at the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival and in other Texas cities.
The bottom line: The filmmakers say the film focuses on brotherhood, adding they hope it sparks conversations around veterans' mental health and the unseen emotional toll of combat.
- "We want to raise up our community into that national spotlight and do it from home — where JV is from — and show the world we have heroes here," Gonzales says.
What's next: "American Sons" is seeking Academy Award consideration.