A formidable documentary about the disastrous Nicaraguan civil war in the 1980s between the US sponsored Contras and the socialist Sandinistas portrayed as die-hard communists by the Reagan administration. The movie confronts two brothers who fought against one another in this civil war. One was recruited as an adolescent by the Contras, the other fought with the Sandinastas. The main reason for the fighting is the deep chasm between a small group of haves and the mass of have-nots. The movie shows also clearly how the US tries to influence national politics (here Nicaragua) via religion. Apparently, even catholicism is too progressive. A must see for all those wanting to understand the world we live in.
2 Reviews
Uneven but not terrible
aarond236 October 2006
I saw this movie recently and found it pretty interesting though not overwhelming good. It follows a family and community in Nicrauaga as they talk about the past war and there is a lot of focus on the Evangelical religious beliefs of some of the community, including talk about demons and ghosts.
I would have liked to have seen more focus on the misogynistic views of some of the men but that wasn't really investigated, and we didn't learn a lot about anyone except the elderly mother, the daughter and the twin brothers, and really only one brother of the twins. Cock fighting was presented as a 'normal' pastime. It did focus on an area of the world that not a lot of movies are made about, so it is fairly unique.
I would have liked to have seen more focus on the misogynistic views of some of the men but that wasn't really investigated, and we didn't learn a lot about anyone except the elderly mother, the daughter and the twin brothers, and really only one brother of the twins. Cock fighting was presented as a 'normal' pastime. It did focus on an area of the world that not a lot of movies are made about, so it is fairly unique.
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