Introduction
The movie “Bolivar Soy Yo” that was released in 2002 is detailing an actor’s story who is well known because of his “El Liberator’s” interpretation and he was called Simon Bolivar. The fiction and the reality began to mix because of the strong public admirations and the role. Later, after reaching the stage-acting limits, the actor believes himself to be Bolivar.
This film was developed in Colombia and the country had experienced a deeper conflict among its states for more than half a century. Columbia is in the middle of about fifty years and still in conflict that existed between the guerrilla groups and the government. The outcome of these conflicts have greatly resulted to death of over fifty thousand people up to date, and it is the country with the largest number of people who are internally displaced in the world. Despite the fact that it is a country in Latin America with the oldest democracy, there has never been national cohesion as from the independence during 1810. Due to the three mountain ranges of Andean, which was acting like natural barriers, as well as the divisions existing in the society based on class interests, the country had the state that was weak, together with the extensive territories with lot of force and no monopoly in justice execution because of the de facto by the government. There have been guerilla warfare groups that have suffered many great setbacks and they are the force that is still powerful and thus the hostilities cannot end in near future. The civil conflicts have been the hindrance to development of this country. The disputes with these guerrilla dates back to mid-sixties while the current disputes originated from ‘La Violencia’ period from 1948 to 1958.
The internecine conflict that occurs between the conservatives and the liberals in 1948 at Ayala was due to the assassination of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan (charismatic leader). Some peasants started organizing themselves to form communities and they got support from Communist party.
Furthermore, the paramilitary demobilization that exists has been operated successfully in some parts but not all in Colombia. The violence that results from drugs in Colombia has been the main fuel of the armed conflicts. In addition, the tensions and organized crime with their neighboring Venezuela and Ecuador that overtime have received accusations for supporting the rebellious groups, is another contributing factor to armed conflict. Over the past months, the relationship between Colombia and Venezuela has become worse.
The director was called Jorge Ali Triana. He attacks corruption in the political arena and the historical accuracy that was in entertainment through his satirical film called "Bolivar Is Me.”
The movie can be viewed differently in that by looking at its surface, it shows an interesting comedy that has an actor who becomes much involved in the Simon Bolivar’s role in the soap opera displayed in Colombia. Nevertheless, looking at it deeply, the movie gives many wry comments on the politics’ theatrical nature and on the way that the mass media combines the fiction and the politics at all time. Initially, the politicians are careful on their invitation of Simon Bolivar during their political rallies as well as the regional summits and furthermore, the guerrillas wanted this ‘Simon’ because he represented their suffering and struggles as a symbol.
Simon Bolivar Bolshevik, who was the comically named guerrilla, removed the video camera and announcing to the fellow comrades that since it was a historical moment, then there is a need to conduct some recordings. In addition, the freedom fighters as well as the terrorists are all the same and they are used as a medium to struggle against the impunity in politics since the politics is now portrayed as substance and image. This indicates that the people in the movie mostly trust the soap’s hero and yet it is not real more than their country’s president is. Moreover, the film also indicates that the mass media has failed to show respect to the history, and as a result it will joyfully rewrite on the way that Simon Bolivar died in order to make it appear more dramatic. In the movie, killing is used as a symbol that communicates to people or provide the purpose. In the film, Santiago symbolizes the people of Colombia and for the great Colombia.
However, when a question was asked by the vice president as to whether to kill Santiago, they refused because Santiago was Bolivar. The illusion created by the director appears contagious to everyone who was found around him, because people flock around him, maybe his mind was thinking on how the world is supposed to be, and yet in reality it is not. In contrary, many people may want “Greater Columbia” but in reality, the world is opposite.
Works cited
“Bolivar Soy Yo”. Vernon Johns Society, 2002.Web. 21st December 2012.
