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Cocalero review
:. Director: Alejandro Landes
:. Genre: Documentary
:. Running Time: 1:26
:. Year: 2006
:. Country: Bolivia, Argentina, US
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Evo Morales, the first democratically elected indigenous president of Bolivia, and a coca growers union leader, captured the attention of lefties all over the world when he was elected two years ago. Cocalero attempts to look at his life and that of the coca growers in the months before he won the presidency.
Unfortunately, Cocalero takes a rather meandering look down a wandering path with no sense of clear direction and we don't learn all that much about Evo Morales other than the somewhat superficial. We see his humble home, get a haircut, joke with his staff, etc. but that's the equivalent of Bill Clinton getting an Egg McMuffin or Schwarzenegger doling out Christmas goodies in LA. At the same time, I think you'd be hard—pressed to find an American politician willing to jump into the river in his tighty—whities to cool off with his campaign staff on camera. While there is somewhat of a non—interest in Morales's part in hamming it up for the camera, the filmmaker doesn't ask a lot of probing questions given how accessible Morales is.
This was a great opportunity as visually we get a wonderful sense of Bolivian geography (what other Bolivian movies are there recently, other than Sexual Dependency and Our Brand is Crisis? (itself an excellent analysis of the Bolivia presidential race).
Scenes that particularly stand out include background on the abuse that coca growers have suffered as a result of US policy and the cocalero union that Morales once headed and their work creating political consciousness among their members. An especially stirring scene is one female union leader and her work in teaching illiterate union members how to vote and practicing with them prior to the election. Another aspect is the obvious racism prevalent in Bolivia. In an airport a man shouts out to Morales that there's no way he's going to be governed by indigenous garbage and in another a right—wing tv reporters fears the worst—if Morales is elected, will Bolivia suddenly be filled with Cubans? A fear that probably wasn't assuaged by images of Evo Morales with Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. A nightmare for some is nevertheless a dream for others as sweeping changes take place in Latin America.
The documentary ends on a flat note with the tailors who made Evo's presidential garb. He refused to wear a suit, opting instead for an indigenous wool outfit. Why the filmmaker chose to end with a group of tailors instead of Evo Morales is anyone's guess.
Anji Milanovic
 Documentary Reviews: 1998 - 2011
Documentary Reviews: 2012 - present
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