Blossoms Of Fire (Documentary)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Documentary: B

 

 

In Mexico, an outrage occurs when a major magazine prints an article about the women in the city of Juchitan.  It says that they are the dominators of their culture, have all kinds of money and power.  It also says they spoil the men around them.  However, is this true?  Absolutely not.  Thus, the mission of Maureen Goslings’ Blossoms Of Fire (2000) is to find out the truth about their lives and it turns out the stereotypes are there for a reason.

 

It turns out that certain political forces do not like the freedom of sexuality, the power of the working class that it took decades for them to gain and ignores on purpose how much women have to struggle in any society, especially one where there is less opportunity and a less healthy economy.  That the place is so increasingly atypical of today by being left-of-center politically in itself makes it a larger target than ever before.  This exploration of Zapotec culture is impressive and is so well done, you just have to see it to appreciate it.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image on the soft side, as is to be expected from a low-budget documentary production of this type, but could have still been clearer in parts.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 is simple stereo at best, with much of the talk being taped on location.  The narration is a bit clearer than the rest and combines with the testimony to make for an informative combination.  Extras include a few stills galleries and a featurette Sketches Of Juchitan.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo