CHAVEZ: ON THE WAY TO SUCCESS? (France/2006)

One of Washington's biggest nightmares, Venezuelan president Hugo Chvez and his Bolivarian ideologies may not transform the face of Latin America anytime soon but, as this nearly hour-long documentary from Maryse Mano indicates, the grassroots effects have been mostly positive so far. (Chvez... cojones... OIL). While the country has come a long way since the violent Caracas-based protests of 1989, a large segment of the population still lives below poverty level. Chvez's administration is not only making progress towards legitimizing those who reside in the barrios, but is also attempting to establish education and health care centers for the poor. Elsewhere, land reforms are essential and the state-owned television stations are keeping everyone up-to-date. However, this is one side of the story because, as most reports suggest, the opposition, which has already been defeated on a couple of occasions, doesn't have much say in matters, political or otherwise.