By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Rachel Boynton
Country: united_states
Year: 2006
Running time: 85
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436629/combined
Bruce says: “It is 2002 and Goni (Alberto Sanchez de Lozada), the former president of Bolivia, is seeking to regain office he held from 1993-1997. When his finds himself lagging behind Manfred (Reyes Villa) in the polls, he panics and brings in a consulting firm GCS (Greenberg, Carville and Schrum) to give him a boost. James Carville, a household name in political circles, based on his successful positioning of Bill Clinton, heads the firm that boasts to attract client who are ‘modernizers wanting to work with new ideas such as globalization to further the democratic process.’ Giving the viewer just enough information to catch on to what transpires in the days leading up to the election director Rachel Boynton lets the story speak for itself. Bolivia is a country torn asunder by corruption, government incompetence and poverty. Capitalizing on these facts, image makers Carville and Company intend to brand the campaign with ‘crisis.’ Tad Devine the GCS advertising wizard is the one who coins the phrase ‘Our Brand Is Crisis.’ These guys from GCS believe that there are single, simple solutions to complex problems such as using a Silver Bullet or finding the Holy Grail.
“After getting feedback from focus groups GCS determines that their strategy is not working. Goni has not progressed in the polls. ‘We need some dirty stuff’ is the conclusion. So a smear campaign is organized against Manfred claiming he has questionable sources of income which have allowed him to buy a huge estate and maintain a lavish lifestyle. Running third in the polls is Evo Morales a cocoa farmer who claims that capitalization does not create jobs, it attracts investors. The American
ambassador to Bolivia stages vicious attacks against Evo Morales in a speech that strangely backfires by giving Morales an unexpected spurt of popularity. In the end, the smear campaign works and Goni does win the election; Morales finishes a surprisingly close second, with Manfred back in third.
“While we follow Goni’s campaign we hear a lot of empty rhetoric and get no sense of how he might solve Bolivia’s problems. Eight months after the election Bolivia is in shambles. There is no government, no police, no one running the country. Goni flees to the US and his Vice President Carolos Mesza takes over. Anyone who follows world politics knows what happens to Mesza, too. Evo Morales is now the President of Bolivia.
“The camera crew was allowed behind the scenes, filming strategy sessions and private moments. For what reason is unclear. GCS and their sleazy tactics come across as a deterrent to democracy no matter how many slippery tongues tell us otherwise. For those who arduously follow political documentaries, OUR BRAND IS CRISIS should be on the list of films to see. Like many other films of its genre, it fills in some blanks helping to create a better world understanding.
“Big guns from PR firms can give any candidate a boost in the polls with good slogans and bags of dirty tricks. But all that wizardry is merely putting lipstick on the pig. They cannot give the pig substance. 3.5 cats”