Cesar's Last Fast

The focus of Richard Ray Perez's riveting film is labor leader Cesar Chavez's highly publicized 36-day “Fast for Life,” during which he consumed only water. This action, undertaken in the summer of 1988, was presented as an act of public penance for not having done enough to prevent agricultural companies from spraying pesticides on members of Chavez's United Farm Workers (UFW)—many of whom traced cancer and birth defects to the excessive use of agricultural chemicals. Perez's documentary, which was shown at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, offers a deeply moving study of Chavez's dramatic ordeal, while simultaneously tracing his tumultuous efforts to change federal law and allow the predominantly immigrant farm workers to organize into a union. UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta, actor Martin Sheen, movie and theater director Luis Valdez, and members of Chavez's family provide insight into the strategies used by Chavez to unite the disenfranchised laborers. The 1988 hunger strike was not Chavez's first as an act of civil disobedience, but extensive media coverage and public support from figures (including Rev. Jesse Jackson) helped to make Chavez's actions a gripping news story. Presenting both the full-length version and a 54-minute abridgement, this documentary offers an excellent portrait of one of the most influential figures in the modern American labor movement. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)