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The issue is that what used to be a somewhat well kept secret has now turned into a phenomenon - the Internet might have something to do with this -, the country now getting thousands of citizenship applications every year. Real estate developers quickly saw a gold mine in this migratory flux, taking advantage of outdated laws and lobbying a passive - if not corrupted -- Panama administration. As a result, the coast is on the way to turn in another Cancun, the developers taking ownership of the land through any mean, whether it's buying legally or illegally property of just evicting powerless indigenous and locals. To illustrate this, Panama native filmmaker Rosario García-Montero follows three personalities living on the archipelago of Bocas del Toro. A boat owner whose small island got stolen by foreign developers, Dario is an idealist who runs for mayor to try to change things and help locals. Feliciano is an indigenous who is trying to stop a - filthy - American developer trying to take down his house and repossess his land. Karan is an American expatriate who has built her dream house here and uses her spare time to raise money for local schools. What Ms. García-Montero shows us through these three characters is that locals are stuck in a mechanism that they might be able to slow down but maybe not stop. Whatever path they chose, they will have to endure greater losses, whether it's losing their homes or the election. But there is still hope, as Feliciano attested at the LA film festival screening (the three protagonists and the director were there): not only did he make his voice heard in Washington but twice indigenous protests were able to block the government's attempt to sell the country out to foreign investors. What of course makes that story so appealing to a wide audience is that this phenomenon happens everywhere in the world, from Mexico to Costa Rica or even Provence to a lesser extent. Even if things might not be as extreme or shady as in Panama, the result is always the same: An irremediable colonization, the price of property going up so much that locals can't afford to live there anymore Of course, just like with any documentary or movie involving injustice, it's hard not to embrace the cause of the main protagonists and you can't help being touched by crusaders such as Feliciano and Dario. What's however more problematic and that Ms. García-Montero fails at fully explore is Karan's case. Of course you will certainly feel bad for her and her husband as they try to keep their house and dream alive, but they are in the first place the reason all of this is happening. Even if she obviously respects her new country and is getting involved in the local community you can't help thinking that these are people like her who came here and spread the world who caused that mess. They are trying to stop an invasion they created and have been taking advantage of this country as well; and the fact they were here first doesn't really give them an excuse: they want to stay in Panama but don't want others like them to come, a quite hypocritical approach. And this is where the main issue with Paraiso for Sale is, as this is just mentioned quickly by a resident while the filmmaker should have confronted Karan and her peers about this. Despite this point, this documentary can be credited for successfully doing its job when it comes to sensitizing public opinion and carrying its message across the world, on the festival circuit. Let's just hope this will help the likes of Feliciano and Dario in their attempt to save their beautiful and peaceful world from another brutal capitalization.
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