A Place Called Chiapas (1998)

Not an in-depth look at the situation.

If you've read the collection of writings in Ya Basta! and followed Marcos's and others writing online, you may find this documentary uninformative and lacking in real detail about the people involved on both sides, and the philosophy of the Zapatistas. Still, the subjects themselves are interesting enough to give A Place Called Chiapas a watch if you're interested in the Zapatista movement. June 21, 2008

Great Doc!

This is a great documentary! I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in social movements. My only regret is that this documentary is dated. This movie only covers material from the early part of the movement. I would like to see something more recent, say the last five years (2003-2008). March 31, 2008

Enjoyable and informative...

I enjoyed this film and the attempt of the producer to present both sides of this conflict. It is always difficult to present an unbiased view of a conflict, especially when you are a sympathizer of the Zapatistas. For an introduction to this conflict I find myself more educated on the issue and I am glad I watched the film. November 24, 2006

Not bad but could have been better...

This video is for everyone: hardcore supporters of the Zapatistas and for those who know next to nothing on the struggle. It details the history and cause of the uprising in Chiapas but leaves much out of Marcos' personality. If you'd like to know more of his agenda you'd be better off reading his speeches in the internet. I also liked the way the documentary depicts the culture of those living in Chiapas. April 2, 2002

A too gringo vision of Chiapas

I saw this movie without previous warning, following the advice of intellectuals' reviews seemingly to the left of US political arena. I can only admire the camera of Netie Wild's. The best part of this documentary is undoubtly the photography, to which Chiapas geography and people contributed generously. Most of the interviews are well-conducted and some just missed the point entirely. In some passages of the film, the title of this review becomes embrassingly obvious. Wild demonstrates why in Latin America many social movements don't often trust pseudo-progressive artists and intellectuals. In her unsuccessful effort to surgically separate the armed movement from the communities, Wild's film becomes amateurish. For instance, she forces the script to describe the Zapatistas as cold-hearted when dealing with the displaced communities from Tila, after attacks from paramilitary groups. In her efforts, she provokes the Zapatistas into turning untrustful of hers. No wonder! Nobody who has been into Zapatistas communities in Chiapas could believe this side of Wild's story. In the end she forces herself into pretending to be an "objective" observer, while in a few parts of the movie you can see she really loses her coolness in front of the camera. In the end, this is a barely accurate vision of Chiapas, told by a typical USian (born in the US, "Americans" are all those born in the Americas) with a mentality of a charity tourist. May 26, 2001

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