Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Hugo Chavez was a colourful, unpredictable folk hero who was beloved by his nation’s working class. He was elected president of Venezuela in 1998, and proved to be a tough, quixotic opponent to the power structure that wanted to depose him. When he was forcibly removed from office on 11 April 2002, two independent filmmakers were inside the presidential palace.
An extraordinary piece of fly-on-the-wall documentary filmmaking that captures a real coup attempt from inside the presidential palace — a near-impossible feat of access and timing. The 'plot' (the unfolding historical events) is gripping and structured with dramatic tension that rivals fiction. Acting is largely irrelevant as a category here since it's a documentary with real participants, rated conservatively. Cinematography is raw and handheld by necessity, functional and occasionally striking but not polished. Novelty is very high — the combination of accidental immersion, political stakes, and the filmmakers' own perspective being challenged gives it a genuinely singular quality. The ending, with Chavez's return, is remarkable and carries real emotional and political payoff.