South of the Border (2009)

A road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media's misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents.

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers:

Mark Weisbrot, Tariq Ali

Stars:

Tariq Ali, Raúl Castro, Hugo Chávez

Cast

Credited cast:
Tariq Ali	...	Himself
Raúl Castro	...	Himself
Hugo Chávez	...	Himself
Rafael Correa	...	Himself
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner	...	Herself (as Cristina Kirchner)
Néstor Kirchner	...	Himself
Fernando Lugo	...	Himself
Lula	...	Himself
Evo Morales	...	Himself

Storyline

There's a revolution underway in South America, but most of the world doesn't know it. Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media's misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents. In casual conversations with Presidents Hugo Chavez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), as well as her husband and ex-President Nestor Kirchner, Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Raul Castro (Cuba), Stone gains unprecedented access and sheds new light upon the exciting transformations in the region.

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Plot Keywords:

south america | media | chavez | argentina | revolution | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official Vimeo Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Portuguese

Release Date:

3 June 2010 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Untitled Oliver Stone/Hugo Chavez Documentary

Filming Locations:

Asunción, Paraguay

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$21,545 (USA) (25 June 2010)

Gross:

$166,611 (USA) (23 July 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Good Apple Productions, Ixtlan, Muse Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Gretchen Carlson: Alright, something that I never knew was that - I knew there was some dictators around the world, but did you know that some of the dictators now apparently, allegedly, are drug addicts as well? That might explain a few things. Hugo Chavez, now admitting in his speech, that went widely undocumented by the way, that he chews cocoa every morning. And he also eats something called cocoa paste, which by the way is addictive. And he gets it from the dictator in Bolivia.

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Connections

Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 21 July 2010 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Crime Alerts
Written by Frederic SANS

User Reviews

Stone's Attempt to Explore Media Bias Towards South America

This film points out how Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is erroneously called a "dictator" by the media, and particularly points out how naive the Fox News network is. The morning show, in particular, is full of fools and I am glad to see them called out here.

The film is also interesting in showing a very human side to South American leaders, with Chavez riding a kid's bike, and Evo Morales of Bolivia playing soccer. Particularly lucid is Rafael Correa of Ecuador, who explains his stand against foreign bases very clearly in terms that no reasonable person could reject.

The film is "plagued by the same issues of accuracy that critics have raised about" Stone's non-documentaries, according to Larry Rohter of the New York Times. Tariq Ali, one of the writers, admits that the film is "opinionated" and Stone himself has gone on record as saying he was not aware of certain facts that may have changed the tone or content of the film.

However, Stone did also write a lengthy letter to the New York Times, expanding on issues and citing references to refute Rohter's claims. While, in the end, how you want to interpret the film is up to you, I think by and large it is accurate, even if rosy. It is, if nothing else, a nice balance from the typical coverage of Latin America.