This film can be seen on many different levels. On the surface it is a (very funny) comedy about an actor who gets so involved in the role of Simón Bolívar in a Colombian soap opera that he believes himself to be the Liberator. On a deeper level, the film makes wry comments about the theatrical nature of politics and about the way in which the mass media mix politics and fiction all the time. The politicians are at first very keen to be able to invite "Simón Bolívar" to political rallies and regional summits, and even the guerrillas want this "Simón" as the symbol of their struggle. At one point one of the guerrillas of the comically named Simon Bolivar Bolshevik Front pulls out a video camera saying "This is a Historical moment. We must record it, comrades". As we know all too well from recent events, freedom fighters and terrorists alike know that politics has become a matter of image as much as substance. It is telling that the populace in the film trust a fictional soap opera hero more than they do the president of their country. It is also telling that the mass media have no respect for History, and will happily rewrite the way Simón Bolívar died to make it more "dramatic".
This film will upset those on the Left and the Right who still believe that history is about Truth and politics are about Honour and Duty. For the rest it is a funny, bittersweet satire on the powerlessness of politicians and the power of "the society of the spectacle".
This film will upset those on the Left and the Right who still believe that history is about Truth and politics are about Honour and Duty. For the rest it is a funny, bittersweet satire on the powerlessness of politicians and the power of "the society of the spectacle".