This documentary is significant for a number of reasons.
First, on a personal level, it brought back strong memories for me of the rain forests of New Guinea, where I spent six years in colonial administration in the 1960s. The cinematography is excellent; the sounds of the jungle are vibrant, even the drumming rain on the canvas.
Second, as a political documentary about FARC, it comes across more as a 'come on' video for other prospective and starry-eyed recruits to the cause. That's not the ideal function of true documentary practice. If you're gonna make a recruiting video, don't dress it up as fact, because this film is staged, from the first frame to the last (a montage of real battles of FARC guerrillas at war with paramilitaries). On that basis, however, it's no better and no worse, than any other video for, say, the US Army, the Tamil Tigers, ETA or any other military force.
Third, from a moral and philosophical point of view, the film is totally bankrupt, if not incoherent. Nowhere in the narrative is there any mention of what the future holds, in concrete terms, for the people of Colombia when FARC finally wins the war. Well, that begs the question, right? Will FARC ever win this grinding conflict that's gone on for decades? Who's to say, who's to know? Never mind, just carry on the fight, okay, and don't ask questions...just carry out the orders. Aaaah, but that sort of line is currently in this decisive year 2007 -- being delivered to the surging grunts in Baghdad, no?
I'm not against political, social and economic justice; quite to the contrary. However, it's never going to be achieved by an unending civil war; to continue in that direction means that the country is ultimately destroyed in order to save it. And that's like smoking forty cigarettes every day while you're dying of terminal lung cancer...
And a film such as this, that actively promotes the continuation of civil hostilities within the country is to be deplored, regardless of the sincerity, comradeship and even love displayed by the recruits.
By all means see this film. The Colombian paramilitary forces and the CIA have probably seen it also. So, you may as well. Why not?
First, on a personal level, it brought back strong memories for me of the rain forests of New Guinea, where I spent six years in colonial administration in the 1960s. The cinematography is excellent; the sounds of the jungle are vibrant, even the drumming rain on the canvas.
Second, as a political documentary about FARC, it comes across more as a 'come on' video for other prospective and starry-eyed recruits to the cause. That's not the ideal function of true documentary practice. If you're gonna make a recruiting video, don't dress it up as fact, because this film is staged, from the first frame to the last (a montage of real battles of FARC guerrillas at war with paramilitaries). On that basis, however, it's no better and no worse, than any other video for, say, the US Army, the Tamil Tigers, ETA or any other military force.
Third, from a moral and philosophical point of view, the film is totally bankrupt, if not incoherent. Nowhere in the narrative is there any mention of what the future holds, in concrete terms, for the people of Colombia when FARC finally wins the war. Well, that begs the question, right? Will FARC ever win this grinding conflict that's gone on for decades? Who's to say, who's to know? Never mind, just carry on the fight, okay, and don't ask questions...just carry out the orders. Aaaah, but that sort of line is currently in this decisive year 2007 -- being delivered to the surging grunts in Baghdad, no?
I'm not against political, social and economic justice; quite to the contrary. However, it's never going to be achieved by an unending civil war; to continue in that direction means that the country is ultimately destroyed in order to save it. And that's like smoking forty cigarettes every day while you're dying of terminal lung cancer...
And a film such as this, that actively promotes the continuation of civil hostilities within the country is to be deplored, regardless of the sincerity, comradeship and even love displayed by the recruits.
By all means see this film. The Colombian paramilitary forces and the CIA have probably seen it also. So, you may as well. Why not?