Road rage between motorcycles, pedestrians, and vehicles is an everyday sight in Caracas. The asphalt is a hard-fought battle ground.
In recent times, radicalism and mediocre policy-making have exacerbated our differences. There is no social pact on how we should conduct ourselves, particularly on the streets. Rather than an harmonic choreography, coexistence between pedestrians, drivers and motorcyclist has become a Hobbesian nightmare of crime, petty aggressiveness, omnipresent street-vendors, and far too many accidents.
That daily battle is gracefully parodied in this mockumentary by Daniel Ruiz-Hueck.
Caracas Chronicles 
It’s borderline astounding that in a 10 minute piece about traffic the price of gas is never mentioned a single time. As though making it essentially free to drive around (or sit in traffic for hours) doesn’t have any effect on the number of cars on the road.
LikeLike
Mr. Ruiz-Hueck, people are confusing this for a piece of serious analysis. Your work here is done!
#SatireChamoSatire
LikeLike
#sadface
LikeLike
Thats right.
LikeLike
Do you really think this is a real documentary? C’mon…
LikeLike
I took it as a silly look at a real thing.
LikeLike
It’s kind of subtle and knowing in complicated ways, you’re right. But as far as social commentary goes, this is much more art than it is social science!!
I actually went to this movie’s “premiere” in Ruiz-Hueck’s living room back in 2012. He’s a really weird guy. Proper eccentric. Even after the cine-foro I wasn’t 100% sure I got exactly what he was trying to say. But that’s the fun of it.
LikeLike
The last scene with the mobility of the scooters stopped by a thunderstorm and the trucks taking revenge was wonderful.
LikeLike
jajajjajajajjaa
LikeLike
Isn’t this project funded by CNAC & Laboratorio del Cine y el Audiovisual? I doubt the government would have funded it if it was satire aimed at any serious social critique.
LikeLike
John Smith, Chief of the Invstogation Department, New York University. haahaha. Take a look on the scotch bottle behind this chief, it is the same kind we used to see in novelas when the bad guy with the scarf served a drink while he was plotting how to take happiness away from the poor girl.
Otra vaina, quien cono en Venezuela usa camisa manga corta con corbata? En serio? El consultorio de la doctora china les quedo buenisimo
I actually liked it because showed ” el Me saben a nona los demas” of the average Venezuelan. I thinks that is the final purpose of the movie
LikeLike
“Un trago”!
José is a legend as a fake NYU Prof!
LikeLike
Its a subtle spoof on the rants people use to complain of caracas traffic and are also embittered at bikers because they get to move more quickly amidst the traffic jams that afflict caracas car drivers,or because of the use criminals sometimes make of their bikes to committ their crimes .
The thing is one is caught feeling simpathy for the people who rant because their complaints echo what viscerally we feel about bikers and traffic jams even if they dont always make sense.
Its also a spoof on sententious pundits and professors who approach really difficult problems with nice soundings generalities that dont solve anything (didnt the decoration of the chinese ladies office change from one take to the next??) . there was something in the accent of the NY ‘academic’, that didnt sound quite right , the guy doesnt really speak like a native american even he gets very close to inmitating the speech of an average american .
The only guy who sounded sensible all the time was the biker , the straight men in this comedy piece , the documentary is really a joke on all of us for sympathizing with the rants even when they get a bit nutty.
In the end the documentary isnt about caracas traffic , its about how ordinary caracas car drivers respond somewhat irrationally to the suffering it imposes on them . Its very smart comedy !! .
LikeLike
right!
The key bit is at 8:43.
LikeLike
Almost right dear Bill Bass. Thanks for that clever feedback…
LikeLike
The video was sponsored by the government, btw. I noticed that in the last second of the clip.
LikeLike
Burn him! Burrrrrrnnnn himmm!!!
Chamo c’mon, Daniel managed to shake Villa del Cine down for some cash that WASN’T to make a garish chavista propaganda piece. Just for that he should get the Nobel Prize for Filmmaking.
LikeLike
Villa gave me money for the 35 mm blow up, CNAC gave me money for shooting and DAVID & JOSEPH cameras and lights. Thats all.
LikeLike
Right.
LikeLike
…agreeing with “managed to shake Villa”
LikeLike
The only solution is to but a motorcycle! Love it!!
And who’s the shanghai specialist? The local acupuncturist?
Great job. And Daniel, great job shaking them down for whatever you could get!
LikeLike
I was just waiting for the frustrated driver to pull a Michael Douglas, a la Falling Down, on us, he is dressed for the part!
LikeLike