A Place Called Chiapas

Gil Scott Heron was right: The revolution will not be televised. But it will be waged in part over the Internet. Like Barbara Kopple, who lived among striking coal miners to make Harlan County USA (1976), Nettie Wild ventured into the jungles of southern Mexico to chronicle eight months in the uprising by the Zapatista National Liberation Army against the government in protest of NAFTA. These indigenous Indians took over four towns and 500 ranches before the government sent in troops, with nearly 150 people dying in the ensuing battle. The rebels, led by the charismatic, pipe-smoking Subcommandante Marcos, have gotten their message to the world via the Web, sparking what the New York Times called the "the first postmodern revolution." Caught in the tense ceasefire are rebel sympathizers whom no one can help (and who are at the mercy of a government-backed--but denied--paramilitary unit). As Marcos states, "I've been here 12 years, and I'm barely starting to understand." Contending with conflicting comments, the wilderness, and threats against the film crew, Nettie Wild has created a remarkable testament. Highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)