Hot Docs 2019 Reviews: Maxima, Inside Lehman Brothers, andThe Seer and the Unseen

Apr 28, 2019- Permalink

Maxima

The first Sunday of Hot Docs 2019 started off with a screening of Maxima. Claudia Sparrow’s documentary looks at the battle between Peruvian subsistence farmer Máxima Acuña and Newmont Mining Corporation, who want her land as part of a multi-billion dollar mining development. She’s harassed, intimidated and threatened by criminal prosecution, but never gives up.

The film is tense and terrifying as we see the lengths some companies and governments will go in pursuit of money when they think no one is watching and no one cares about the people involved. Maxima is a pint-sized inspiration; a powerhouse who won’t be scared off her land. Her David and Goliath story will leave you angered and inspired.

Speaking of being angered, Jennifer Deschamps’ Inside Lehman Brothers will stir up memories of the worldwide financial collapse of 2008. The story follows several whistleblowers who raised the alarm about subprime mortgage lending practices and found themselves hounded and harassed by their bosses and coworkers. One woman, Sylvia Vega-Sutfin, felt so threatened that she learned to defend herself with lethal means. As is the sad case in many of these whistleblower stories, the powerful executives mostly exit the crisis unscathed and protected by their political allies, while those who pointed out the situation find their lives turned upside down and their integrity questioned. The really infuriating part of these stories is how often the companies just find a new way to do the same old thing.

The Seer and the Unseen, a documentary from director Sara Dosa, takes us to Iceland and introduces us to Ragga, an environmentalist who is also a seer, able to communicate with elves. The elves, or “hidden people” are a part of Icelandic folklore and a small percentage of people have a belief and them. Ragga and her supporters believed that a proposed road through a lava field would disturb hidden elven landmarks and they launch protests and political battles to alter the road’s path. Ragga is earnest and passionate about her beliefs and to those who might sneer at her beliefs, I have to ask how it’s any different than basing laws and starting wars over more popular invisible people?