Review of Cartel Land (2015) by David J — 13 Feb 2016
A vérité style documentary, Cartel Land uses the conversations of its subjects to drive its storyline. Additionally it merges two separate story lines; one in Arizona USA and the other in Michoacan Mexico.
It's daring and raw. Both groups are fighting drug cartels, yet in different ways. I'm giving this Oscar-nominated film only 3 stars out of 5 because I feel the stories wander quite a bit. It is often confusing who are "good guys" which deserve my attention.
On both the Mexican and American sides of the border, each militia group operates outside of the law. However, in my opinion when telling a story, even with documentary, one should identify hero or villain during the presentation, then ask the audience to query intention or purpose afterwards.
The anti-hero archetype doesn't play well. My point is not that documentaries should be propaganda but they should lead the audience to a viewpoint (that can be researched more). While I do like ambiguous endings for dramatic film but I'm not comfortable with ambiguity in documentary.
That's just my opinion, of course. Good sound mix and excellent photography.
This review of Cartel Land (2015) was written by David J on 13 Feb 2016.
Cartel Land has generally received very positive reviews.
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