Int’l Critics Line: Todd McCarthy On Venezuela’s Oscar Entry ‘Once Upon A Time In Venezuela’

A sleeper hit at Sundance, the sublimely disturbing Once Upon A Time In Venezuela has been taken under wing by the Topic streaming service and forwarded as the troubled nation’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature. Although it speaks very directly to the moment, Anbabel Rodriguez Rios’ documentary simultaneously gives off unmistakable airs of the eternal in the way it pointedly yet serenely presents the slow-motion crisis of a poor, aquatic-based community on the brink of extinction. The things of life — family, nature, the environment, education, politics — all figure prominently in the mix to create an indelible picture of a literal backwater facing devastation. It’s both a striking and deeply sorrowful work. By Todd McCarthy. Full Text -> Deadline

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