Pictures from a Revolution

Plot Summary

In 1978, new photographer Susan Meiselas just happened to be in the country of Nicaragua as the government of Anastasio Somoza was being overthrown and the nationalist and (mildly) socialist Sandanistas were assuming power. Some of the photos she took then were used for propaganda by both sides in the civil war that followed shortly thereafter. Ten years later, after years of counter-revolutionary civil war by U.S.-backed insurgents, the country reached something like an accommodation with all the factions involved, and here the photographer returns to interview those involved. It becomes clear that, no matter what the actual situation in the country was, the U.S. crudely acted in support of its perceived interests — usually closely allied to commercial concerns. In addition, the unfortunate factions in Nicaragua's civil war became pawns in the Cold War between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. In this documentary, filmmakers have sought out exiles in the U.S. and Canada to get a fuller picture of the story.