Foreign Submission Review: Panama's "Invasion"

Here's Jose to look at the first Oscar submission ever from Panama. They sent a documentary.

On the early morning of December 20, 1989, the United States invaded Panama. Under code-name Operation Just Cause, the US deposed de-facto leader Manuel Noriega and president-elect Guillermo Endara was sworn into office. Setting a precedent of inexplicable, unjustified foreign invasions under the command of presidents named George Bush, the Panama intervention was notorious for its lack of transparency; while US officials set the casualties tally at 500, local records report up to 7,000 civilians and soldiers who were never heard of again. Even more interesting is the fact that the invasion is simply something people don’t talk about anymore.

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Director Abner Benaim’s documentary feature Invasion tries to piece together the events of the military intervention not through historical footage or archival material, but by gathering the recollections of people who survived, most of whom haven’t yet told their tales. Benaim went into the streets of Panama City and asked people what they remembered about the invasion, and even asks some of them to lie on the floor like the corpses they saw that fateful December. Because we never really get to see any of the images being described by people, the film takes on a truly harrowing form as we are asked to become active audience members and try to visualize these horrific moments in our minds. Even though we never see the “image” of a monstrous tank that vacuumed dozens of mutilated bodies lying on the streets, so that international press members would find the city in order, the description itself is the thing nightmares are made of.

Benaim’s film succeeds in mastering the notion that we are supposed to contribute to what we see onscreen; that by becoming active viewers, we are also becoming political beings who question the way in which history is recorded and propagated. The film features moments of such poignancy, that we can’t help but feel powerless and urge future governments to think twice before threatening the safety of the people of the world. Invasion is by no means a didactic film, but there are lessons to be learned from it, if not from an empirical perspective (because data and facts can be altered to benefit the powerful) at least it should encourage people of the world to become interested in their surroundings, it should invite them to question American foreign policy and the importance they usually place on economical over human interests, it should remind audiences that the realm of the intellect and our right to demand we are treated with dignity, are not open to any form of invasions.

Talking Oscar: Invasion was a huge hit at the Panama International Film Festival where it won the awards for Best Documentary and Best Regional Film. It recently ended its theatrical run with over 50 thousand spectators (in a country of only 3.5 million people) and will have its international debut at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam next week. It’s also Panama’s very first Oscar submission!

In terms of whether the film will click with AMPAS or not, the film it reminded me the most of was Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell, an undeniable achievement from a formal perspective, that had a harder time clicking with more traditional, monolithic branch voting, because it was "too personal" and not “important enough”. Which perhaps means well for Invasion because of its historical importance and might give it an advantage with the “more hip” Foreign Film committee and what not, if they don’t keep changing the rules every two seconds. Regardless of its Oscar chances, it should be required viewing for non-fiction buffs and most definitely bodes well for the future of the blooming Panamanian film industry.

27 of 83 Foreign Submissions Reviewed: 
Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Mauritania, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Complete Oscar Charts Here.

Comments

[Edward L.]

This sounds enticing, and thanks for your excellent piece on it.

[Peggy Sue]

I predict this is going to have a long life in European festivals with a crowd highly predisposed to criticize American interventions.