Educational Media Reviews Online

Suspensión chronicles a long saga, consisting of several attempts to construct a road through the Amazon between the Columbian cities of Mocoa and Pasto. The film is a bit over an hour, which might make it difficult to view in a single class period. There is no narrator in this documentary, and from the beginning it relies on photos and footage to tell the story. There is limited dialog, in Spanish, with English subtitles, from some of the people involved in the project, including a roads engineer and members of the community. The visuals carry the film and are quite powerful in conveying the multidecade history, dangers and struggles of constructing the road. Depending on how educators plan to use the film, they may need to closely consider how to create an assignment or assessment on student learning. This film would be much better suited to a response essay or in-class discussion, rather than a quiz or worksheet. With such limited speech it would be difficult to ask students to reiterate bits of information presented. It would be not only easier, but also more engaging, to ask for thoughts and impressions on the many issues surrounding the complicated and dangerous construction project. Because of the nature of the film, as discussed, it’s pretty versatile and would be applicable to geography, international studies, civil engineering, political science, ethics, and history. Another beneficial quality of the film, for library collections, is that because it’s essentially a collection of first-hand accounts and footage/photographs, it’s not the kind of documentary that will become outdated and unused a few years after purchase.

Awards:

Bogota Film Festival 2020, Jury Special Mention for Feature Length Documentary

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