While a documentary focused solely on the murder of Chocobar and the long-delayed trial of those charged may well have been captivating, Lucrecia Martel captures the trial while using it as a frame for a larger canvas that encompasses the centuries-old processes of dehumanization and marginalization of a people. In her first documentary, Martel (The Headless Woman, Zama) explores the Chuschagasta community through the people and their stories, the family photos held dear, the landscape close up and from the vantage point of drones, and from inside the courtroom. Viewers come away with an appreciation of the deep bond between people and place, and the resilience that marks their rise above exploitation.
The initial body-cam footage of the lethal encounter establishes context for the trial, as well as a counter-point to dubious testimony of the defendants. Yet the pace slows as we gradually meet community members who are given voice to share stories of the past, both long ago and recent. Community becomes the central focus, delaying resolution of the trail, while placing the film far from the typical landscape of the true crime genre. Nature and wildlife add a vivid sense of place, a place invisible in the voluminous piles of documents stacked in the courtroom. Connections in the community are suggested in the direct gaze of a horse hosting a tiny bird on its back. Martel's investigation reveals a curious, generous storyteller as adept with documentary as she is with fictional drama. Highly recommended.
