‘Once Upon a Time in Venezuela’ Review: Subtly Powerful Documentary Probes a Ghost Town in the Making
Guy Lodge Film CriticPropped shakily over the lapping waters of Lake Maracaibo in the Caribbean-facing northeast corner of Venezuela, the tiny settlement of Congo Mirador is as tranquil as it is far-flung, but only the most obtuse of passing backpackers would describe it as idyllic. Impoverished and increasingly depopulated as it bears the economic brunt of the country’s political discord, it’s a village almost literally on the verge of sliding into the mud: Water pollution and sedimentation from nearby oil drilling have strangled its local fishing industry, while modest houses struggle to stay afloat.