Aristide and the Endless Revolution

The rise and fall (and rise and fall) of priest-turned-Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide is the focus of Nicolas Rossier's often compelling documentary, which offers not so much a portrait of the subject's erratic rule as an exposé of the American machinations that keep Haiti in a constant state of poverty and chaos. Aristide's support, it appears, has been closely tied to Washington: as long as he was useful, Aristide remained in power, but once he fell out of Washington's favor, he also found himself abruptly out of office. Not that Aristide himself was a paragon of virtue, of course: his odyssey from initial political nobility to questionable leadership offers confirmation of the corruptive nature of power. Combining archival and contemporary footage together with interview clips featuring former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and the ubiquitous Noam Chomsky, among others, the film looks at the roots of Aristide's failures in Haiti (Aristide himself, interviewed here, comes across as weak and unconvincing—if not his own worst enemy, he's certainly his own worst PR rep). The end result for Haiti, unfortunately, is a continued sense of disastrous leadership and endless misery. DVD extras include a bonus interview with Aristide, an historical timeline, and text interviews with the director and economist Alex Dupuy. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)