(above) Indigenous people, a majority in Bolivia, in the documentary "A Moment of Silence." Outsider Pictures

Review: 'A Moment of Silence' Follows the Evo Morales Era in Bolivia
May 19, 2016 - NYTimes

By HELEN T. VERONGOS
In Bolivia, chewing coca leaves is a centuries-old tradition among native groups. The crop they grow is an anchor of the local economy, as well as a potential source of cocaine for the world market. As such, it was a target of United States eradication efforts, which hurt the growers but formed the basis of a comfortable relationship for the governing class, consisting of descendants of Spanish colonialists. That was the arrangement until 2005, when Evo Morales, a coca labor leader from the Aymara tribe, was lifted to the presidency on the shoulders of the nation's indigenous majority.

President Morales wanted nothing to do with Washington. He came to office backing his constituency and denouncing the violent tactics of his predecessors, who get lots of camera time, some of them from exile in the United States.

In "A Moment of Silence," about the forces that led to Mr. Morales's winning three terms and the fate of his promises, we hear little from him, except in his speeches.

While he delivered a constitution that recognized the rights of native groups, the film asserts that he resorted to the tactics of the leaders he despised. When his proposals undermined his constituency, the people protested, only to be met by government brutality, according to chilling testimony. "What does the president want?" one woman asks. "All these people voted for him."

This ambitious documentary, by Ferdinando Vicentini Orgnani, is largely pleasing to the eye, and it pays close attention to the eloquent activists at its core. Journalists of every stripe provide context, perhaps more than we can digest.

There are so many talking heads that yours will spin. Still, seeing the protesters choose to march for weeks (wearing out or abandoning shoes) rather than give unquestioning loyalty is a refreshing reminder during our own presidential campaign.