Documentary

In June of 2000, a young homeless man, evidently high on drugs, made a failed attempt to rob a bus in a wealthy Rio de Janeiro neighborhood. When his plans went awry, the young man, Sandro do Nascimento, armed with a pistol, took the bus passengers hostage. Soon, cops and reporters surrounded the bus. A SWAT team arrived. About four hours later, the incident came to a horrific and tragic end. Filmmaker José Padilha's documentary, Bus 174, explores the events of that day. The film uses a great deal of file footage of the event, in addition to interviews with hostages, policemen, reporters, and others connected to the incident and to the unstable and desperate young man at its center. The filmmakers explore social conditions in the city, along with the personal traumas that led Sandro to his desperate act. As a child, Sandro had witnessed the brutal murder of his mother, and had subsequently found himself on the streets at an early age. In 1993, he survived the infamous massacre of homeless youths at Candelária, which is widely thought to have been committed by police officers. Sandro was also imprisoned at a youth facility, and in a city jail, and the appalling conditions in those prisons are also depicted in the film. Bus 174 was shown at New Directors/New Films in 2003. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Cherry Ridez, Vol. 2 features custom cars, motorcycles, and trucks, as well as a number of attractive young women posing in bikinis, all set to a beat heavy soundtrack. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Actress Rosie Perez makes her directorial debut with this documentary about her heritage, Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'Que Tu Lo Sepas! (I'm Puerto Rican, Just So You Know!), which she co-directed with acclaimed documentarian Liz Garbus (The Farm: Angola, USA). Starting with the focal point of New York City's famed Puerto Rican Day Parade, Perez examines her culture, both from a deeply personal perspective, interviewing her sister and cousin about their sense of pride in their background and exploring the journey of her own family from the island to New York City, and from a broader perspective, looking at the island's rich, neglected history. The film explains how Spanish conquistadors nearly wiped out the island's indigenous population, and made Spanish the official language and Catholicism the official religion. The U.S. eventually took over the island during the Spanish-American War, making it a commonwealth, in which residents pay taxes and can serve in the military, but can't vote in national elections. The U.S. prized the island for its sugar plantations and its strategic proximity to the Panama Canal, but a vast percentage of its residents live in poverty to this day. The documentary takes an honest look at how residents of the island were used as guinea pigs by pharmaceutical companies, at how the U.S. government utilized forced sterilization in an effort to control the island's population, and at the bloody struggle for independence led by Pedro Albiza Campos. Operation Bootstrap, a government program to move islanders to the mainland, is also explored. Perez also celebrates the Puerto Rican poets, artists, and musicians that have impacted American culture, along with the island's unique influence on our language. The film had its New York premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Filmmaker Mika Kaurismäki delves deep into the century-old Brazilian musical style known as "Choro" in this documentary that shows just how the sounds of Europe blend with Brazilian African and Indian traditions to offer a musical reflection of Brazil's diverse ethnic heritage. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Money, Power, Respect documents the lives of a handful of Latin rappers. Interview subjects include Lil' Rob, Royal T, and Cuban Link. They discuss other rappers: those they have beefs with as well as those they consider friends. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

This documentary is part of a series that profiles outstanding women artists. This volume focuses on the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. As a young girl, Kahlo suffered terrible injuries in a traffic accident. Her lifelong struggle with pain shaped and informed her art. Her bold style and emotionally charged works capture the passion she displayed in all aspects of her life. Married to the muralist Diego Rivera, she was great friends with Leo Tolstoy, whose philosophy she embraced. This documentary presents some of Kahlo's best-known paintings. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

Carlos Menem was the president of Argentina between 1989 and 1999; under his administration, many of the nation's public works were privatized, and the nation's peso was linked to the value of the American dollar. When the nation quickly fell into debt, the International Monetary Fund stepped in to give the nation massive loans -- a tactic that only sent Argentina deeper into the hole, as the government struggled to pay the interest on their notes. The results were little short of disastrous, sending the economy into a tailspin and forcing much of Argentina's industry to shut down. In 2001, following the example of other out-of-work laborers, the former employees of an Argentinean auto plant walked into the abandoned factory where they once worked and announced their plans to take it over and run the business as a cooperative. The auto company's owners soon stepped in to claim what they said was theirs, while labor advocates argued that since the company had been floated by IMF-backed loans before it closed, the true ownership of the shop was an open question. The Take is a documentary by activist filmmakers Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein that chronicles the standoff between the displaced laborers occupying their former workplace and the private and public forces who united against them. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, and Acapulco are just a few of the Mexican locales visited in this entry in Questar's Cruise series. Among the highlights are stops at the sites of ancient ruins and a look at some old pirate stomping grounds. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Chalino Sanchez: Una Vida De Peligros documents the life of the Mexican singer and musician who is credited with popularizing a style of song known as "narococorrido." His gritty, sometimes violent songs matched the way his life ended - he was murdered after a show. The film consists of interview with his bandmates as well as members of his family. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Follow along with filmmaker David Blaustein as he takes a closer look at the lives of the children displaced in Argentina's 1976-83 "dirty war" in a documentary that seeks to find out the ultimate fate of these so-called "spoils of war." Taken from their parents as the elders were tortured and killed by the brutal military government, the children were subsequently placed into right-wing foster homes, presumably never to be heard from again. In a startling act of defiance, however, the grandmothers of the missing children would risk their very lives to march against authorities in Buenos Aires' Plaza de Mayo in protest of the reprehensible action. When democracy was eventually restored, the very same women would establish a comprehensive DNA bank that could identify the children, and return them to their rightful families. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

American filmmakers Laurie Ann Schag and Casey Stoll journeyed to Cuba to investigate the nuts and bolts of day-to-day life for artists and musicians in Cuba, and Great Day in Havana is the result, offering a look at the literal state of the arts in Cuba's capital city. Sculptor Pedro "Pulido" Gonzalez, performance artist Tania Bruguera, singer and songwriter Carlos Varela, and jazz musicians Ele Valdes and Carlos Alfonso all discuss their work, the political climate in Cuba, their feelings about Fidel Castro, and their views on America's economic embargo against their nation. Elio Ruiz, a filmmaker born in Cuba who now lives elsewhere, also lends his perspectives on Cuba's large exile community. Yareli Arizmendi narrates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide