This documentary on the life and legacy of syndicalist/activist Chico Mendes (1944-1988) is a very interesting project on the man and his cause for
the Amazon preservation, and it's a great view from the outside in understanding the many problems surrounding the forest and its devastation by farmers
and companies. This was made by an American crew, around the same time there were a British production (in cooperation with Brazilian filmmakers) were
developing their own film - which got released a year later. Both impressive works, but I'm more favorable with the other ("Chico Mendes: Eu Quero Viver")
since they had the advantage of covering in some detail the trial of Mendes killers and also the updates from the federal government under Collor
administration on the fight for the preservation.
Featured here are some brief information on Mendes life as a syndicalist for the rights of common workers and native people to have a piece of land,
getting the rubber from the rubber tree and how sustainable that work is to the forest and communities if compared to raising cattle and destroying
pastures for building roads; his whole struggle to convince international agencies and representatives to stop funding destructive projects on the Amazon and
etc. It presents one of Chico Mendes final interviews and you can feel the tension as if he tells time and again that he was marked to death. He was
murdered on December 1988 on the command of a local farmer of whom he had many disagreements after losing a great deal of lands, given to the poor locals.
I know it's always interesting to hear both sides of one issue, but having then presidential candidate, now senator Ronaldo Caiado's presence was
damaging and problematic as hell. At the time, he was one of the leaders of a rural/farmers union that was named as responsible for asking the assassination
of Mendes. It was a rumour, there was an investigation and the farmer charged with the crime was in fact part of that group. Caiado is shown as far too
defensive of his group, telling that the syndicalists are all liars and never hints on the possibility that any of those powerful farmers could do such a thing
as ordering an execution. But the film presents a list of names of syndicalists that were threatned around that time, and they only escaped from attacks because
after Chico's death gaining worldwide attention, the world started to look at the problems on Amazon. This was way back in a time where the fight for
the environment was just starting out.
Amazing interviews and news clips, it's a solid material to understand better the fight that Chico Mendes fought up until the end, and many have followed
in his footsteps ever since for an honorable cause. 8/10.
