Once Upon a Time in Venezuela

Once Upon a Time in Venezuela is about Congo Mirador, a small scale story of a nation-wide situation, a metaphor: the country is sinking in the swamp. It does an awesome job at having an impartial view on the situation and let viewers arrive at their own conclusions.

The characters (mainly villagers) have their own stories and they're not portrayed as good or bad, just as humans dealing with the complexity of the situation. Some hoping for a change, others "trapped" in this irreversible political project.

Thanks for this documentary and also wish the best to all the villagers of Congo Mirador, wherever they are.

Once upon a time in Venezuela is the perfect analogy of the deterioration of a country by people who never cared too much. That forgotten town of the Congo Mirador could be the representation of Venezuela. Very well filmed, it is an important documentary that deserves much more recognition. Well done.

Very sad reality, impeccably documented. Admirable production, careful photography. The narration, editing and every detail accurately portrays the lives of those who suffered a devastating end. My respect for the teacher Natalia Sánchez.

This film shares the relevance for the current political and social climate of the country which was shot. The issues and arcs of each character manage to portray the enormous problems of Venezuela and their people. The negligence of the current dictatorship, people escaping from their hometown and current villagers constantly fighting for basic needs like water, food and specifically sedimentation problems that affected the little town of Congo Mirador.

A dense, very harsh but realistic story of the worst period in Venezuelan history, magnified in a particular place.

Totally worth watching.