Go and See–

If You Haven’t Already–Go back and watch I”‘m Still Here” and “The Penguin Lessons.” They both are a hell of lot better than the last two “Best Picture” Academy award winners.

It’s been awhile since a film, let alone two, has affected me on so many levels. Intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, yes. These films, on a deeply personal level, depict everyday life during the socio-political upheaval that occurred in both Brazil and Argentina during the 60s and 70s. They portray how men, women, and children struggled to maintain a sense of normalcy under the tightening grip of authoritarianism.

There are lessons here, one’s that most Americans are unaware of. If there were a timely film pertaining to Chile regarding similar times, it would be a cinematic trifecta. As for me, and as a student and instructor of political history, I have at least a reasonable base of knowledge. But, it takes films and the filmakers behind them, to provide the human impact of it all. With that in mind, these pictures are well worth your time. Not just for their cinematic quality, but viewed through a window into human history that should help us better understand our own.

As an aside and for the last decade or so, when my wife and I travel we usually go through Road Scholars or other similar travel providers that include academic lectures and time spent with local residents and business operators. This was no different with our recent extended travels through Chile, Argentina, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.