Exploring The Venezuelan Revolution

Inside The Revolution: A Journey Into The Heart Of Venezuela
Dir: Pablo Navarrete
65 mins, 2009

Documentary-makers exploring the recent history of Venezuela struggle to escape the shadow of 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised', an emblematic documentary on the coup that overthrew Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and how popular support defeated the putsch. Pablo Navarrete's 'Inside the Revolution: A Journey Into the Heart of the Revolution' takes the narrative forward, updating it to where the Venezuelan revolution found itself at the start of 2009.

Navarrete lays out the context of the current happenings in Venezuela and allows his narrators, mostly Venezuelans, to analyse the profound changes. There is a multiplicity of views, unity that the process needs protecting, but not unanimity. By giving Venezuelan protagonists the voice, the documentary avoids the impression that analysis comes from outside and the locals just pump clenched fists at rather colourful political rallies.

Documentaries on Venezuela get dated very quickly since events tend to move fast there and Navarrete will have the opportunity for sequels. This particular documentary avoids hysterics, is informative, balanced and will endear itself to those looking for clear light rather than political heat about Venezuela. Perhaps a weakness of this documentary, as of so many others, is that the Venezuelans speaking out are from Caracas. There is ferment in the heartland of the country and it would be useful to hear men and women from the Andean regions and the llanos, the plains. But then finances are a struggle for documentary-makers, and we should celebrate what we have been offered in Navarrete's documentary.

More information about film at: Alborada Films