Our Brand Is Crisis (2005)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Rachel Boynton

Writer:

Rachel Boynton (written by)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A documentary on American political campaign marketing tactics and their consequences. |

Plot Keywords:

Political | Marketing | Campaign | Advertising | Politics

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Mauricio Balcazar	...	Himself (Goni's Press Advisor)
James Carville	...	Himself (GCS Strategist)
Tad Devine	...	Himself (GCS Advertising Consultant)
Stan Greenberg	...	Himself (GCS Pollster)
Carlos Mesa	...	Himself (VP Candidate)
Carlos D. Mesa Gisbert	...	Himself - Bolivia's Vice Presidential Candidate
Carlos Morales	...	Himself - Campaign Manager
Evo Morales	...	Himself (Opposing Candidate)
Henry Oporto	...	Himself
Manuel Rocha	...	Himself - US Ambassadir to Bolivia (archive footage)
Jeremy Rosner	...	Himself - GCS Pollster and Chief Strategist
Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada	...	Himself (Bolivia's Presidential Candidate)
Robert Shrum	...	Himself - GCS partner
Tal Silberstein	...	Himself (GCS Management Consultant)
Manfred Reyes Villa	...	Himself (Opposing Candidate)
Amy Webber	...	Herself (GCS Associate)

Directed by
Rachel Boynton

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Rachel Boynton		written by

Produced by
Rachel Boynton	....	producer
Sanders Goodstein	....	executive producer
Robert Kravis	....	executive producer
Vanessa Moreno	....	associate producer
Erin Nesbit	....	associate producer
Jeffrey Zumeta Seelbach	....	associate producer (as Jeffrey Seelbach)
Steven Shainberg	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Marcelo Zarvos

Cinematography by
Michael Anderson
Christine Burrill
Tom Hurwitz
Jerry Risius

Film Editing by
Rachel Boynton
Jennifer L. Robinson

Sound Department
Michael Boyle	....	additional sound
Rachel Boynton	....	sound
Sergio Claros	....	sound
Tom Efinger	....	audio mix services: Dig It Audio
Fub-Z.	....	additional sound (as Fub-Z)
Brian Langman	....	sound designer: Black Cloud Sound
Brian Langman	....	sound editor: Black Cloud Sound
Brian Langman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dow McKeever	....	audio mix services: Sine Post Audio
Dow McKeever	....	foley editor
Marsha Moore	....	foley artist
Jojo Pennebaker	....	additional sound
Rob Silverthorne	....	additional sound (as Robert Silverthorne)
J.P. Whiteside	....	additional sound
Ethan Beigel	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Rachel Boynton	....	additional cinematographer
Ernesto Fernández Tellería	....	additional cinematographer (as Ernesto Fernandez-Telleria)
Jeff Victor	....	additional cinematographer (as Jeffrey Victor)

Editorial Department
David Leonard	....	consulting editor
Emma Joan Morris	....	consulting editor
Massimiliano Santini	....	additional editor
Gary Scarpulla	....	colorist

Music Department
Lawrence Manchester	....	score mixer
Lawrence Manchester	....	score recordist

Other crew
Mauricio Arias	....	adr artist
Julie Arrue	....	production assistant
Tao Ballve	....	production assistant
Roberto Barbery	....	adr artist
Lucas Bessire	....	intern
Jeanette Caceres	....	production assistant
Victor Carreno	....	translator
Maria Eva Doriga	....	intern
Cecil Esquivel-Obregon	....	translator
Loy Frankbonner	....	translator
Amparo Garcia	....	production assistant
Joanna Giuttari	....	intern
Maurice Goldentaier	....	production assistant
Carlos Gomez	....	translator
Javier Gonzalez	....	adr artist
Maria Goyanes	....	production assistant
Noelle Grohmann	....	production assistant
Alexandra Guerrero Macchia	....	production assistant
Peter Hart	....	production assistant
Nicole Lorini	....	researcher: stock footage
Anya Mayans	....	intern
Mirtha Medrano	....	adr artist
Vanessa Moreno	....	translator
Heather Plansker	....	title designer
Tom Randall	....	adr artist
Michael Rice	....	adr artist
Raul Rosales	....	translator
Virginia Sanchez-Escobar	....	researcher: stock footage
Nicole Schaeffer-Sanchez	....	stock footage coordinator
Martha Seelenberger	....	adr artist
Kristina Sherry	....	production assistant
Wendy Sosa	....	adr artist
Katherine Stecher	....	production assistant
Ellen Stoloff	....	intern
Rae Watts	....	intern
Jennifer Weiss	....	adr artist
Cristina Jaleru	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
James Carville	....	thanks
Tad Devine	....	thanks
Bilge Ebiri	....	thanks
Stan Greenberg	....	thanks (as Stanley Greenberg)
Jeanne O'Brien-Ebiri	....	thanks (as Jeanne O'Brien)
Jeremy Rosner	....	thanks
Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada	....	thanks
Robert Shrum	....	thanks
Tal Silberstein	....	thanks
Amy Webber	....	thanks
Samy Leigh Webster Woog	....	dedicatee

Production Companies

• Boynton Films Production
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (in association with) (as The BBC)
• Films Transit International (in association with) (as Films Trabnit)
• Slough Pond (in association with) (as The Slough Pond Company)
• Urban Empire (in association with)

Distributors

• Koch Lorber Films (2006) (USA) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Black Cloud Sound  sound design and mix
• Cinebox  production: Goni's ads
• Dig-It Audio  audio mix services (as Dig It Audio)
• Film Sales Company, The  domestic sales
• Pal TV East  equipment provided by
• Sine Post Audio  audio mix services
• Sound Dimensions Editorial  adr recording

Runtime:

87 min | USA:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Boynton Films Production

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006) (TV)

Good Film Even Better Topic

The film is based around the 2002 Bolivian Presidential Election and the Gonzalo "Goni" Sanchez de Lozada Campaign.

The movie starts by introducing us to "Goni" and his flailing campaign and then quickly brings in GCS, Greenberg Carville Shrum, (yes, the James Carville) is an international political consulting firm. The film starts off kind of awkwardly and there is really nothing special about the first 3rd of the documentary.

But the movie quickly kicks into gear about 30 min. in and never pulls up. Rachel Boynton, the director, does a good job of just presenting facts, never bashing the audience in the head with something that can be seen. She asks pretty good, not great, questions of those she interviews and presents people fairly throughout the film. The movie centers on the topic of how can international consulting firms participate in a democracy that isn't their own. The movie shows the personal feelings of the consultants for GCS and the effects GCS has had on Boilivia.

That all being said I didn't like the camera angles or the audio. The audio was inconsistent; interviewer's voice was not miked so her questions were almost impossible to hear. The camera, at times, makes you feel not a part of the action.

The movie is for anyone who watches the news or would like to consider themselves "well informed." – 8/10