Political Media Review

Beyond Elections takes on a huge topic – the future of democracy in the Americas. The documentary by Sílvia Leindecker and Michael Fox ably traverses the complexities of this broad question, relying predominantly on the voices of the people to explore how we define democracy, its nature and limitations in the Americas and efforts to expand it.

In the US mainstream, Hugo Chavez is generally seen as a “communist” (a la North Korea, Cuba, or China), tyrant, or both-often vilified by US news media and politicians. Further, the Chavez administration is often painted as illegitimate, particularly in comparison to those elected in dominant Western “democratic” models-such as the US or much of the EU. However, Venezuela: Revolution from the Inside Out provides a more nuanced perspective on Venezuela and a thorough investigation of modern socialism as now manifested in Central and South America.