World trippin'

In the past week, I've seen two interesting documentaries that take you around the world. I love documentaries that show you different walks of life or give you a bird's eye view to something. I don't want to be preached to or view a one-sided film. To me documentaries should show life unfold naturally and then edited to tell a story.

Yo Soy Boricua, Pa' Que Tu Lo Sepas directed by Rosie Perez. That's right the busty Nuyorican directed a gem on Puerto Rican pride and culture. It had special interest to me since by husband is a proud Boricua born on the island. I was mostly impressed with the archival footage that illustrated pivatol moment in PR history. I had no idea that by 1965 the US goverment had sterilized a third of the PR women. WOW. I also admired the way she portrayed the colorful PR people without making them cartoon characters of salsa music and cars with booming systems.

Favela Rising directed by Jeff Zimbalist and Matt Mochary was an honest and sometimes tense look inside the Brazilian slums. The documentary follows the rise of Afro Reggae, an eclectic group of musicians that tapped into their African roots to form the Public Enemy of the favelas. Even with the Portuguese subtitles, I was riveted. Afro Reggae started programs for the slum kids and adults that broadened their worlds and is bringing peace to the most turbulant neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. Their fearless leader Anderson Sa is a Malcolm X (after he left the Nation) for the favela youth.

I highly suggest both of these documentaries for a different slice of life.