Directors: Violeta Ayala.
Cast: Stina Brendemo, Madelaine Rodriguez, Christina Oygarden.
Certificate: N/A
Running Time: 85 minutes
Synopsis:Three Norwegian women are arrested for trying to smuggle drugs. However, despite committing the same crime, their fates are vastly different.
These days you can always tell a great documentary because there’s a part of you that instantly wants to see a big budget dramatisation with the best Hollywood stars. The Bolivian Case is one such documentary as it presents to us a case of incredible drama, uncountable twists, fascinating characters, and a sense of disbelieving at what is unfolding in front of your very eyes.
The film charts the case of three Norwegian women who were caught smuggling drugs out of Bolivia. A simple open and shut case became more and more complicated as each of the women seemed destined to different fates. Christina manages to make bail, and soon escapes the country thanks to her father and the Norwegian government. She has never stood trial in Bolivia and is still a wanted person. Both Stina and Madelaine were sentenced to prison, with Stina making bail after a number of years, and once again escaping the country. This leaves Madelaine in prison, after having to give up her daughter when first convicted.
This tale is so complex and enjoyable, as it could be seen as either a triumph for Norway, as they manage to get back their people who claim to be just pawns in a larger plot, or a tragedy for Madelaine. It becomes even more bizarre (at least for us outside of Bolivia) as we see that prison life their is very different to what we are familiar with. The prison looks like a market place, and mothers can raise their babies there. The obvious conjugal visits have given both Stina and Madelaine children. Meanwhile we see the power of the press as Stina becomes a celebrity and very much works the press, while Christina becomes an innocent victim from a good background. This material is very illuminating and frustrating, especially when a picture of another woman on trial is mistakenly labeled as being that of Christina, and becomes iconic and representative of her.
There are countless amounts of avenues to explore and Ayala handles them all exceptionally well. Jumping back and forth through cases and trials, the film has a lot of narrative to cover, and Ayala also knows when exactly to change focus and how to connect certain strands. We do get a sense of unavoidable bias, but this is mostly due to the fact that Christina does not participate, and Stina hardly participates once she finds fame through her notoriety. However, it could be argued that it is their own doing, and the film soon reveals a number of side characters and how the law can come down to preconceptions of personality and looks.
There’s a universal message that can be attached to many cases around the world, as well as some illuminating underhanded methods of the Norwegian government. But throughout all the legal wranglings and international postering, their is a story of people at its heart. People who have made a very grave error. At the end of the day some people get lucky and some don’t, but when it comes to law, justice, and innocence, should luck really be a prevailing factor? Smart and concise, if a few of the music choices and graphics seem to be making things too loud and hip, The Bolivian Case informs and entertains.
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