The Legend of Cocaine Island is a debatable documentary, not because of some quality issues, or narrative, because both are very high quality. It follows a nearly unbelievable story about “regular” guy that chases after wealth in the form of buried cocaine bag. Instead the concerns are whether the film is a “real” documentary or not. “Real” meaning somewhat factually correct and functioning within the genre constraints of a documentary. This post will comment why The Legend of Cocaine Island is in fact a real documentary.
First, regarding the film’s factuality, it does all that is necessary to keep it from the label of “mockumentary.” The film has a disclaimer at the beginning warning the viewer that the story may not be completely true. Then the film has several clips and photo evidence from the whole the events unfolding on screen. The film backs up these images and reports from interviews. Most interviewees are questionable but there are also official government entities questioned. The story of The Legend of Cocaine Island certainly lends itself to be credible.
The mechanics of the film follow that of a good documentary; an interview-based documentary.
The interviews form the backbone of the films story as they should for an interview-based documentary. These interviews are cut to reenactments which have the main character of the story reliving the events he went through. These are useful for giving the viewer a clear visualization of what happened. Additionally, there are many dramatic closeups in the interviews to add extra weight to what the characters are saying. Both the reenactments and the close-ups allow for a lot of style and intentional humor to seep into the film. Without compromising its factuality.
Overall, The Legend of Cocaine Island. Is a great example of how to make an otherwise terrifying story about abuse by law enforcement and criminals into a funny adventure story.
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